The overarching theme of digitalisation has become increasingly prominent across various industries, particularly in logistics, as companies are witnessing a growing demand for tech services. 

In the aviation sector specifically in the international emergency logistics with on-board couriers (OBC), the use of various communication tools, such as WhatsApp, email, SMS, calls, and faxes, highlights the need for a more streamlined and organised approach.

PRIOjet, as a neutral SaaS-Platform connecting time-critical transport logistics service providers in real-time with their OBC-Network, is looking to address this by digitalising the entire transport support process from start to finish, offering a comprehensive solution, from picking up a package, navigating customs to having all flight-related transport information, track and tracing over multiple means of transportation and delivering it to the final destination. 

Established practices

Despite the unique nature of this logistics sector, which handles around US$7 billion budget for these special kinds of emergency transports annually, there is a low level of digitalisation among companies operating in this space most of the time.

Compared to other industries, where established standards for digital processes exist, logistics faces challenges in adopting organised and optimised tools. The OBC-Transport industry’s reliance on a variety of different systems, rather than a unified approach, creates inefficiencies and hampers potential.

“From one side, the company perspective, they would like to have the optimum performance, delivering more OBC business in less time with the same team,” Christian Wolff, PRIOjet CEO, said. “The other side is the customer, who is expecting more, covering every element of the supply chain. The customer wants to know everything is on time and in order with his very time-critical transportation goods and the logistics agency as transport company wants more detailed information on the shipment.”

READ: The power of predictive procurement in logistics

Speedy set up

While it’s interesting to work with a plethora of data points, connecting them to derive meaningful insights is important. Understanding immigration times and the intricacies of customs procedures for various items can aid companies when targeting specific delivery times, especially in the realm of sensitive shipments.

Having an extensive database allows artificial intelligence (AI) to play a crucial role in delivering important information about cargo processes. PRIOjet’s platform is evolving to incorporate this advanced stage, wherein AI organises a multitude of data points to offer insights for future transportation jobs to each logistics agency based only on their own transport jobs data with a very high data protection level. 

“The goal is to leverage this wealth of information to make predictions for critical jobs. By factoring in variables such as the optimal arrival time, weather conditions, airline specifics, customs procedures, and various handling aspects, the platform aims to provide informed recommendations for the most efficient and effective transportation processes,” Wolff outlined. 

“AI can be an assistant to the human. If you have a human with 20 years of logistics experience, they know all the tricks and figures but AI can assemble information and bring it in connection with stakeholders.”

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Cutting carbon emissions

Delving into the details allows cargo handlers to glean more information, particularly regarding eco-friendly practices and lowering CO2 emissions to find effective ways of completely neutralising CO2 emissions through certified offsetting methods. 

An example of a straightforward approach involves assessing the environmental impact of various transportation methods. For instance, the carbon footprint associated with frequent and abrupt stops and starts is considerable. On the other hand, a long-distance flight, even with a slightly earlier departure, tends to have a smaller carbon footprint. Consequently, the focus shifts towards optimising practices rather than fixating on marginal time discrepancies.

“By considering and prioritising practices that contribute to lower CO2 emissions, we can make informed choices that align with environmental responsibility and compensate for unavoidable emissions using certified offsetting methods,” Wolff added.

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