Time-definite becoming preferred mode for forwarders says LH Cargo

DEMAND for guaranteed time-definite air cargo services is on the increase. fully justifying some companies’ increasing commitments to that market sector, writes Nigel Tomkins.
Such products are even becoming the preferred service of choice for f cight forwarders, notes Lufthansa Cargo.
The industry change has also prompted systems integration specialist Syntegra to launch a new automated product that enables airlines and ground handling organisations to successfully deliver time-definite products. Called CargoChorus Service Management, it automatically identifies service levels associated with individual shipments, creates key milestones, and monitors progress during the shipment life-cycle, reveals Mike Navin, global programme director.
“Most airlines want to differentiate their products and realise higher yields from offering a choice of timedefinite services, especially in the current economic climate,” he notes. However, successful time-definite services depend on doing the right thing at the right time. Currently, the majority of carriers and their hand-
ling partners do not have the end-toend service management capability needed to deliver reliable time-definite products.
Some carriers, such as Lufthansa Cargo. have built a history of express focus. it was in 1998 that the German carrier launched its revolutionary time-definite services which guarantee transport within precisely defined time frames. Its express product Flash was changed to td.Fiash, giving customers a more reliable basis for their planning.
Td.Flash shipments are transported on the fastest possible flight connections and offer the shortest time on the ground, says a spokesman.
“Access to capacity is automatic for shipments of up to 100 kilos booked up to six hours before the latest possible acceptance time so that customers can rely on the fastest transport of important freight even in the peak season,” he adds.
The German carrier’s migration to express air cargo services began 15 years ago with Lufthansa Express
Freight Service, the launch of which marked the start of a success story, the company now believes. Then, in 1993, Lufthansa introduced barcode labelling, which not only accelerated handling, but also allowed customers to obtain status reports on the whereabouts of shipments, at any time.
The higher quality of these products compared with traditional airfreight services has struck a responsive chord among customers, says Lufthansa. From a mere 30 express shipments a day in the first year, the volume rose four-fold by 1988 to more than 40,000 shipments. Today, express accounts for more than 20 per cent of Lufthansa Cargo revenues — and the percentage is growing and the weights increasing.
“Whereas td.Flash is utilised primarily for lighter weight cargo, its td.X stableinate — also launched in 1998
— is the express service for heavier and bulkier shipments.
“Td.X also comes with guaranteed capacity access for shipments weighing up to a tonne, often even up to two tonnes, if they’re booked up to 24 hours before the latest possible acceptance time,” the spokesman points out.
Recent newcomers to the td portfolio are service packages tailored to customers with freight requiring specialised handling.
“The Lufthansa Cargo td.Flash and td.X express products are not only acquiring a growing reputation in the marketplace, they are becoming the preferred transport mode for forwarders and shippers,” enthuses Harald Eisendcher, Lufthansa Cargo’s senior vice-president of marketing.
“That, simultaneously, increases our commitment to continue with improvement of our innovative product portfolio in the express segment.” Since 2000, td.Flash and td.X have been bookable online on the Internet. And in October last year, Lufthansa Cargo and its partner airlines SAS Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo in the ‘New Global Cargo’ alliance harmonised their express products, allowing customers to through-book shipments on any of the three carriers’ worldwide networks.
The latest option for customers. since year-end 2001, is Lufthansa Cargo’s offer to fly their td.Flash express shipments to-door — timedefinite right to the consignee’s door-step.