THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has introduced a subscription-based platform to facilitate connections between business partners so they can exchange critical information and messages, reports New York's Freight Waves.
Its Enhanced Partner Identification and Connectivity (EPIC) is a database with tools that centralise connection information for stakeholders, reducing the cycle time to determine communication channels with each other to minutes, IATA said.
But there are many highly capable vendors that have already established platforms that many forwarders and airlines are flocking to, including Webcargo and cargo.one
The number of connections between parties has multiplied as companies adopt digital processes. More than 40,000 freight forwarders exchange messages with more than 450 airlines and 23 third-party cargo community systems worldwide, according to IATA.
Connecting to new cargo business partners with multiple locations on each side can be difficult and time consuming, industry experts say.
It can take many individual contact attempts and several weeks to complete the set-up of digital connectivity between cargo partners.
With EPIC, users can store their organisational profiles and connectivity identification so they are easy to share when the time comes, as well as visualise station IDs and requests.
Subscribers will be able to start generating revenue quickly and reduce the cost of direct resources by as much as 40 per cent, IATA said.
'EPIC is a simple idea. It makes the information needed to do business across a digitised air cargo supply chain easily accessible. And in doing so, it will accelerate efficiency gains for air cargo.
The user base includes 32 airlines, 900 forwarders, 10 government agencies, five international organisations and 13 third-party messaging providers, IATA said.
EPIC is open for use by IATA members and nonmembers. The base annual subscription is $999, with a tiered structure rising from there based on the number of client connections.
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Its Enhanced Partner Identification and Connectivity (EPIC) is a database with tools that centralise connection information for stakeholders, reducing the cycle time to determine communication channels with each other to minutes, IATA said.
But there are many highly capable vendors that have already established platforms that many forwarders and airlines are flocking to, including Webcargo and cargo.one
The number of connections between parties has multiplied as companies adopt digital processes. More than 40,000 freight forwarders exchange messages with more than 450 airlines and 23 third-party cargo community systems worldwide, according to IATA.
Connecting to new cargo business partners with multiple locations on each side can be difficult and time consuming, industry experts say.
It can take many individual contact attempts and several weeks to complete the set-up of digital connectivity between cargo partners.
With EPIC, users can store their organisational profiles and connectivity identification so they are easy to share when the time comes, as well as visualise station IDs and requests.
Subscribers will be able to start generating revenue quickly and reduce the cost of direct resources by as much as 40 per cent, IATA said.
'EPIC is a simple idea. It makes the information needed to do business across a digitised air cargo supply chain easily accessible. And in doing so, it will accelerate efficiency gains for air cargo.
The user base includes 32 airlines, 900 forwarders, 10 government agencies, five international organisations and 13 third-party messaging providers, IATA said.
EPIC is open for use by IATA members and nonmembers. The base annual subscription is $999, with a tiered structure rising from there based on the number of client connections.
SeaNews Turkey