The launch of an expanded SKYPALLET, tailored to also accommodate the specific requirements of freight forwarders, is planned for 2024. Wiremind is currently in the process of releasing its SKYPALLET version 2.0, which will pave the way for the necessary product enhancements to offer a forwarder-specific, dedicated workflow module.
Though originally developed to support airlines for space optimization, SKYPALLET could, and already does, assist forwarders optimizing their own capacity management processes. Airlines and forwarders have similar needs in this respect, however their processes and use cases vary slightly. For example, when planning shipments, forwarders determine how much capacity needs to be procured from an airline, or how best to assign house airway bills across different allocations. Forwarders’ transport management systems also differ to those of airlines, thus raising additional integration specifications for SKYPALLET.
“We have collaborated with freight forwarder customers for many years, and they often illustrate use-case scenarios that lend themselves perfectly to becoming additional SKYPALLET features,” Nathanaël de Tarade, chief executive officer of Wiremind Cargo, said. “Then, during the COVID-pandemic, when the pressure to make maximum use of available capacity was at its peak, two freight forwarders actively opted to use SKYPALLET to support their business processes. From their reported positive results and the many discussions we have had with a forwarder community increasingly interested in adopting digital solutions, Wiremind’s mission now is to create a freight forwarder SKYPALLET version that offers dedicated functionalities to support their specific workflows.”
Those forwarders using the original SKYPALLET version, have already contributed to a number of enhancements such as: the functionality that instructs SKYPALLET to not split house airway bills, mandating that they must be fully accommodated within the requested capacity; the capability to build winged pallets that make use of the full contour and maximise build efficiency; and the possibility to optimise pivot - best balancing the distribution of cargo across the positions and their pivot weights. Future enhancements will focus on supporting the broader capacity planning process, enabling forwarders to optimise their consolidation process by providing recommendations on how to assign shipments across multiple allocations.
"Since we began using SKYPALLET at our Frankfurt office last year, it has helped us drive an estimated 20% increase in capacity utilization and build planning efficiency. This has had a significant impact commercially and operationally, helping us streamline the entire process and empowering our team with a user-friendly tool to support their daily work," Joel Soares de Albuquerque, supervisor AFF Export Gateway from Yusen Logistics, said.
