Swiss WorldCargo, the cargo division of Swiss International Air Lines, has officially gone live with Swiss Worx, a customised version of the comprehensive end-to-end IT cargo management system SkyChain developed by Mercator, the Dubai-based business technology provider
With most cargo carriers using systems that are ten to 30 years old, there has been a clear recent call for more flexibility. Using the latest Java technology, Swiss Worx substantially meets this demand and improves business efficiencies across the air freight life-cycle. As the system was made available to outside cargo operators, Swiss WorldCargo was the first to take advantage of the opportunity.
Swiss's chief cargo officer, Oliver Evans, said: We can look back on a smooth and seamless migration in what has been the biggest IT project in Swiss's history to date.
Started in January 2007, the project actually saw the involvement of more than 50 IT and cargo professionals in Zurich and Dubai and the overall effort of some 7,000 personnel-days. Mr Evans said: This could only be achieved thanks to the dedication and hard work of our team and suppliers and the great loyalty and trust of our customers.
The greatest challenge facing the air cargo industry today is the integrity of data across all interfaces in the management of complex supply chains for our customers. With Swiss Worx we have seized the opportunity to improve efficiency, raise quality and streamline our processes for today's needs. Moreover, we will be ready for all future changes and enhancements as the industry adapts to new challenges and the necessity to provide ever-increasing value to the end customers of airfreight.
Patrick Naef, president of Mercator, said: This has been one of our most exciting projects and we have benefited from an outstanding collaborative team spirit. The Swiss team has been an inspiration with their insights on cargo operations, which have further enhanced our cargo business technology.
Swiss Worx seamlessly integrates with other systems to ensure the timely availability of the information required for all commercial and operational business purposes. The new system also addresses the current and future needs of Swiss WorldCargo in all business areas including network-wide sales and reservations, capacity management, pricing, contribution management and (in future) e-commerce.
