dnata, one of the world’s leading air services providers, has further enhanced operational efficiency by launching a smart, just-in-time freight handling platform across its Dubai operations. A cloud-based platform, Appointment and Dock Management (ADM) ensures improved planning, efficient processing and end-to-end transparency of the entire cargo journey, delivering significant benefits for all freight forwarders. The innovative solution is provided by Siemens Logistics and its wholly owned subsidiary Siemens Digital Logistics.

ADM enables freight forwarders to book an appointment with the cargo terminal to deliver and pick up consignments. The system considers multiple parameters – such as shipment characteristics, flight details, vehicle types, and other business-relevant factors to determine the optimal slot for delivery or acceptance of goods. A unique feature of the digital platform is its capability to intelligently predict the duration and suggest an appropriate slot based on the historical behaviour of the forwarders and the flight schedule.

ADM has reduced the average freight handling time at dnata’s cargo terminals by more than 60 percent to an average of 30 minutes, meeting the industry’s needs for planning and transparency to avoid costly idle time for carriers, freight forwarders and terminal operators. Furthermore, the platform allows terminal operators to see demand in real-time, enabling them to plan the required resources and serve customers just in time. The solution coordinates with Dubai Customs to schedule inspection activities, too. Further associated business processes within the cargo terminal are also integrated as part of automated process connectivity.

Bernd Struck, Senior Vice President, UAE Cargo and DWC Airline Services, dnata, said: “We are delighted to offer our partners more value by implementing another innovative solution across our Dubai operations.

“ADM is a crucial element in our digital transformation programme. It seamlessly integrates into Calogi, our existing trading platform for the air cargo community, which connects over 800 supply chain partners with 2000 users. We continue to invest in leading technologies to provide best-in-class services to our customers.“

Michael Reichle, CEO of Siemens Logistics, said: “We offer powerful applications for increasing efficiency in freight and cargo process management. We are proud of how the platform in Dubai has improved our customer’s business processes.”

As one of the world’s leading cargo service providers, dnata handles 700,000 metric tons of cargo per year at the two Dubai airport airports, Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). The ADM integrates around 800 freight handling agents and manages already more than 600 appointments per day, whereby the system is capable of even more.

Over the past few years, dnata has significantly invested in state-of-the-art technologies to deliver the highest possible value for customers. As part of its digital transformation, the company has revisited all of its processes and support functions to ensure that customers get simplified services and timely solutions. In addition to ADM, dnata has also launched One Cargo, an innovative cargo management system that steers all processes and manages all air cargo operations on a single technology platform. One Cargo has eliminated all redundancies and manual check sheets and simplified dnata‘s operations, significantly improving operational efficiency at both Dubai airports.

Most recently, dnata has been focussed on enhancing its pharma handling capabilities. The company has been using the latest technologies and global best practices to ensure that every pharma and vaccine shipment is handled in compliance with the highest international standards. dnata‘s certified warehouses are capable of handling large volumes and can be further expanded to handle the COVID-19 vaccine when demand arises.

Siemens Digital Logistics is a provider of software and consulting solutions for the digital supply chain. ADM is based on the Logistics Platform AX4 which is among the leading IT platforms for managing cross-enterprise supply chain processes and enables digital integration of various players and system environments.