On 02NOV20, it was announced that the Royal Schiphol Group had assumed full ownership of 1986-incepted Cargonaut B.V., having acquired additional shares in the port community system
serving the airport's cargo community. After almost 35 years of existence, it is time for an upgrade.
The two companies have already declared a 2-year modernization program and relaunch of the system, based on feedback from current cargo community users. Future-proofing the system, which
will continue to run as normal until the new IT system is available and fully operational, will include improved data-sharing and predictability analysis, in particular with regard to customs
clearance processes and the rise in e-commerce.
The cargo community benefits
Jonas van Stekelenburg, Interim Chief Executive Officer, Cargonaut, elaborated "With the new system that Cargonaut and Schiphol Group are building, we will be ready for the future, and able
to further innovate and exchange information. We are replacing the current deprecated system, but we are also improving it: the new PCS will make it easier for cargo parties to communicate with
one another, as well as with the Government. Moreover, it will enable the sector to handle the expected increase in e-commerce clearances."
"The cargo community will benefit from this transition, it will make the supply chain more predictable and it will strengthen Schiphol’s competitive advantage," said Miriam Hoekstra –
van der Deen, Head of Airport Operations. "I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Maaike van der Windt, who worked hard to make this happen over the last two years."
The more who jump on the bandwagon, the better
Sjoerd Blűm, Chief Information Officer and Director IT and Data at Schiphol, encouraged community members to participate in the feedback survey: "Proper data sharing ensures smooth cargo
handling, from which efficiency in the chain will increase. We will be inviting community members to share their vision regarding their future needs and functionalities for the system and we will
keep sharing important milestones as the project progresses."
Going the Brussels (data sharing) way
Cargonaut operates the Cargo Community Platform at Schiphol Airport aimed at making AMS the smartest airport in cooperation with partners and logistics companies. Mastering the data flows, the
platform has become an integral part of the Mainport Program for the information driven airport SCL and NLIP (National Logistics Information Platform), both kicked off by the Dutch government.
The Smart Cargo Mainport Program focuses on providing greater visibility, improving the speed and predictability of cargo and product flows, reducing supply chain costs, and expanding the
catchment area of Schiphol airport and its cargo stakeholders. Further to this, members of the supply chain shall be encouraged to cooperate and share their data, Jonas van Stekelenburg, Head of
Cargo at Schiphol, stated.
“This is a tangible innovation push for members of the Schiphol cargo community, aimed at realizing efficiencies, reducing costs, and enhancing services,” he said. “The community is
putting in the effort, with companies willing to take risks and spend resources, and we are seeing results.”
The pilot consortium of participants includes Schiphol Cargo, Jan de Rijk Logistics, Swissport, Kuehne + Nagel, Cargonaut, and Dutch Customs – all key actors in the air logistics chain.
Brigitte Gledhill & Heiner Siegmund
We always welcome your comments to our articles. However, we can only publish them when the sender name is authentic.