Assessment of SA’s e-freight readiness under way

The magic moment for the
introduction of e-freight in
SA is moving closer – with
e-freight a global exercise
that will save the international
airfreight industry the billions
of reams of paper required
each year for the soon-to-beobsolete
paper-based system.
According to the basic
thinking at the International
Air Transport Association
(Iata) – the body that
conceived the e-freight
concept and is currently
supervising its introduction
– there are 40-million
individual air cargo shipments
each year. An average of 38
documents is required per
shipment – and Iata estimates
that the paper presently used
in processing shipments every
year could fill 39 Boeing 747-
400 “jumbo” freighters.
In setting the e-freight
scene in SA, three bodies are
most apparent in the current
investigation and planning of
the all-electronic airfreight
environment – supervisors
Iata; the forwarding
community’s SA Association
of Freight Forwarders (Saaff);
and the domestic airline
major, SAA Cargo (SAAC).
And, Iata’s Lorne Riley
told FTW: “A detailed level
assessment (DLA) is under
way to determine SA’s
suitability for e-freight.
“That is – has it the legal,
regulatory and business
environment to support
e-freight? We hope to have
the results in the near future.”
According to SAAC’s
spokeswoman, Thola Nzuza,
airlines and freight forwarders
in SA are keen to participate
in the Iata e-freight project.
“As a result,” she said,
“an e-freight committee was
formed of which SAAC is
a member.”
The latest news she could
release to FTW on the project
is that “there needs to be
further investigation regarding
compliance and alignment of
Iata’s processes to that of the
SA Revenue Service (Sars) in
order to ensure their processes
and security systems are not
compromised.”
SAAC is also highly
involved in the practical
procedures necessary to test
and support the e-freight
introduction in SA.
Said Nzuza: “As aviation
has developed into an
electronically advanced
business – and with the
advancements towards a
paperless environment as
advocated by Iata – SAAC
has implemented an electronic
air waybill system for the
domestic market.
“This system offers
customers a fast lane for
cargo check-in – which
expedites the lodging process
and provides customers with
an added benefit of receiving
real-time information.”
SAAC’s intention is that
the system will be expanded
from the present domestic
usage to include regional and
international routes as the
time progresses.
“We are also introducing
a new integrated web-based
system,” Nzuza added,
“which will bring SAAC
up-to-date with technological
developments within the
cargo environment.
“This project kicked off
on December 3 last year,
and we are busy with the
‘fit-and-gap’ analysis on our
current system.”
The main issue of the
moment is bringing Sars
on-board, Charles Speed-
Andrews, sales manager
of Safcor Panalpina and
airfreight director for Saaff,
told FTW.
“It certainly supports the
tax authority’s long-term
objectives,” he said.
According to Speed-
Andrews, the project plan that
Iata has put forward is fairly
rigid – and Sars is currently
adjusting its internal systems
to comply.
“They may find it a bit
difficult to meet some of the
interim targets,” he said, “but
they are relatively positive
that they can achieve the
overall project target date –
which is presently datelined
for 2010.”
Others in the air cargo
supply chain are also out with
their electronic tuning forks,
also aiming at hitting the right
key in the e-freight project.
“There is a pilot project,”
said Speed-Andrews, “with
certain selected parties
involved – customs, an
airline, a ground handler and
a freight forwarder.
“These represent all
the groups relevant to the
process.”