DHL and Emirates SkyCargo drive e-freight agenda

Both companies recognize the strategic value of e-freight; working in an electronic environment will bring enhanced operational efficiency and improvement to the supply chain.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), e-freight processes could generate annual industry savings of up to US$4.9 billion.

Furthermore, the environmental benefits include the elimination of 7,800 tons of paper documents worldwide – the equivalent of eighty Boeing 747 cargo planes per year.

Michael Schaecher, head of Global Airfreight at DHL Global Forwarding, said: "Today, DHL Global Forwarding handles more than a third of all international forwarder-issued e-freight shipments. We will work with Emirates SkyCargo to ensure that driving e-freight volumes stays a key strategic program for us."

E-freight is an industry-led project involving carriers, freight forwarders, ground handlers, shippers and customs authorities. It aims to take the paper out of the air cargo supply chain, streamline processes, improve speed and reduce costs.

A number of factors contribute to these positive results: reduced cycle times of 24 hours on average, greater reliability and accuracy due to one-time data entry at the point of origin, and much better visibility in the online track on account of electronic documentation.

Ram Menen, Emirates divisional senior vice president, Cargo, said: "Emirates is a huge advocate of e-freight and is already one of the leaders in the industry in actual numbers of shipment carried on the e-freight lanes. The benefits it has brought our business are enormous, which is why we are encouraging others to embrace it."