With limited capacities as a result of the pandemic, the efficient use of air cargo capacity is all the more crucial to ensuring that the world’s supply chains keep moving. Yet, capacity management is not easy given that shipments come in all shapes, sizes, and commodities, and travel in varying aircraft types. Add to this the issue of bookings not always matching what is actually delivered to the airline, and space wastage, as well as the risk of having to leave shipments behind, is pre-programmed.
However, Wiremind -- a software expert and data-science company, which was established in 2014 with a focus on optimizing systems mainly for the transport and logistics industries, launched its SkyPallet solution in 2017.
SkyPallet is a ULD and flight optimization system that addresses three common pain points in air cargo steering: the imbalance in essential operational knowledge across air cargo teams, the lack of continuity between the sales and operations processes, and the fact that airline pricing strategies often overlook the volume factor despite its critical impact on margins. The SaaS solution offers a 3D planning view and enables digital capacity management based on advanced heuristics – in other words, a custom function that selects the best solution on a given dataset, applying rule-based logic. Unique algorithms take into account the respective regulations for special products, carry out weight and density checks for heavy cargo, and ensure smart capacity optimization to minimize space loss.
More than 1,200 users in 100 countries now trust and use SkyPallet in their capacity steering. The solution has continuously been improved over the years and adopted by leading, international air cargo stakeholders such as Emirates, Atlas Air, United, Qantas, ECS Group, and Chapman Freeborn. Demand for SkyPallet has increased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, proving the relevance of the solution’s approach.
“Given the acceleration of digitalization in air cargo, along with an increased connectivity between stakeholders’ processes and systems, Wiremind has decided to launch a dedicated business unit with a clear roadmap and goal for the coming years. We aim to become a leading provider of solutions for air cargo, covering a range of processes and needs,” Nathanaël de Tarade, chief commercial officer at Wiremind, says. “There is huge potential for further digitalization in air cargo, yet the industry currently lacks data science expertise at the right level. We know that it can certainly benefit from similar technology, such as Deep Learning models, for example, that we have successfully deployed on large-scale projects in several industries. Therefore, we have already doubled the size of our Air Cargo team, and aim at tripling it within the coming months.”
