[110413.EN.BIZ] New IT Offers Connectivity Between Freight Forwarders And Airlines

CHAMP Cargosystems and Worldwide Information Network (WIN) have announced the integration of WIN 3.0 with CHAMP's Traxon cargoHUB platform.

CHAMP's community integration platform Traxon cargoHUB is designed to act as an open, extendable and rules based "industry service bus." It simplifies transmission, conversion and distribution of messages, and expands the scope of information sharing within the air logistics community.

This allows independent freight forwarders worldwide to connect electronically and directly to 100 airlines and to access a wide range of mature e-cargo enabling services.

The WIN solution provides freight forwarders with not only full agent-to-agent e-connectivity, but also full agent-to-ocean carrier and, from June 2013, agent-to-air carrier electronic transmission of all data.

The partnership between WIN and CHAMP's Traxon cargo HUB is a "major step forward for small-and-medium-sized forwarders to become e-freight-enabled, support the e-AWB (IATA's electronic Air Waybill) initiative and further automate processes. It allows the seamless transmission of standardised messages such as MAWBs (Master Air Waybills), HAWBs (House Air Waybills), status information, availability and booking requests," a joint company statement said.

The integration was announced to independent freight forwarding companies attending the WCA Family Annual Conference Week in Bangkok, Thailand. WCA membership encompasses 4,807 freight forwarder offices in 189 countries. The release said: "WIN has been embraced by the network as the ideal solution to the SME sector's urgent requirement for a significant leap forward in e-connectivity."

The solution was also unveiled at the World Cargo Symposium in Doha, where John DeBenedette, managing director of WIN, said, "Although small- and medium-sized forwarders offer their customers many advantages over the multinationals, they still lack the sort of IT connectivity their larger competitors take for granted. This new connection between WIN and CHAMP's Traxon cargoHUB levels the playing field and, in fact, sets the stage for the independents to leap ahead. Users will rapidly benefit from efficiency gains, cost savings and an increase in service quality."

Source : HKSG.