Panalpina is Cargo 2000 <Phase 1> certified

Panalpina has announced that the Group is now Cargo 2000 certified for Phase 1. Cargo 2000 is an industry initiative in three phases aiming at implementing a quality management system for the worldwide air cargo industry across multiple stake-holders. Phase 1 manages airport-to-airport, Phase 2 door-to-door shipments. Phase 2 certification is expected to follow in 2013, in line with the roll-out of a strategic IT initiative at Panalpina.

The objective of Cargo 2000 is to improve the efficiency of air cargo. Processes, backed by quality standards which are measurable, are to be implemented. Cargo 2000 operates as an industry group within the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Panalpina generates roughly 50% of its net forwarding revenue with air freight. Almost 20% of the company’s global air freight volumes are handled by Panalpina’s own controlled network. The remaining volumes are procured with commercial carriers.

IATA is currently reviewing the standard process of an air freight shipment, the Master Operating Plan (MOP). This is one of the reasons why Panalpina has decided to move forward with Cargo 2000 certification for Phase 1. The certificate was issued in October after an in-house audit.

“From the decision to become Phase 1 certified to certification, it took Panalpina only nine months. This was an impressive and unique industry effort,” says Mattijs ten Brink, Chairman of the Board of Cargo 2000.
Phase 1 manages airport-to-airport movements. This involves shipment planning and tracking at Master Air Waybill level. Once a booking is made, a plan is automatically created with a series of checkpoints against which every air cargo shipment is managed and measured.

Panalpina is going to do a feasibility study for Phase 2 certification in the first quarter of 2012. Phase 2 is focused on shipment planning and tracking at House Air Waybill level and provides interactive monitoring of the door-to-door movement.

The third and final phase of Cargo 2000 manages shipment planning and tracking at the individual piece level. This provides for real-time management of the transportation at the piece level. In the attempt to operate in a paperless environment, the IATA e-freight initiative and Cargo 2000 are complementing each other.