Digital Pulse: Beacon freight tracking platform adds air cargo

Supply chain visibility company Beacon has launched airfreight tracking, which makes its platform multimodal. The London-based company’s platform is connected to more than 160 airlines, according to Beacon in a company blog post. To track airfreight, users need only enter the air waybill information. “For the major airlines, tracking data will be populated within a minute,” Beacon Senior Marketing Manager David Koke wrote in the blog post. “For shipments with smaller carriers, initial data may take several hours to come through.” [caption id="attachment_57138137" align="alignright" width="300"] Beacon’s airfreight tracking platform includes data from more than 160 airlines. (Photo/Beacon)[/caption] Transportation milestones reported on the dashboard vary by airline, according to Beacon, but typically include a combination of: Booking confirmation at origin; Awaiting loading; Loaded; Departure at origin (estimated and actual); Arrival at destination (estimated and actual); Offloaded status; and Delivery/collection status. “As with ocean shipments, air cargo tracking data will feed into a suite of analytics tools and reports designed to help you improve supply chain planning and operate more efficiently,” Koke said. Reports on airfreight volume, timing and delays, risk concentration and carbon emissions will gradually become available on the platform, he said. Imaginnovate uses AI to automate pricing Software creator Imaginnovate introduced an AI tool last week that automates pricing for the transportation and logistics industries. The India-based company’s dynamic pricing engine automates the pricing practices in an organization, driven by a blend of historical buying and selling patterns, aggregated market data and personalized pricing rules, according to a company release. “The logistics industry faces numerous pressures such as volatile fuel prices, fluctuating demand and increased competition,” Imaginnovate Chief Executive Krishna Vattipalli said in the release. “These factors make it challenging for companies to accurately determine optimal pricing strategies, and that’s where a dynamic pricing engine becomes useful.” The tool establishes price ranges — based on variables such as demand, competition, lanes, equipment and types of transportation — to be used as the basis for final contract negotiations, according to the company. The AI relies on external rate sources and historical pricing data, and takes into account market variables such as peak shipment days, delivery locations, holidays and fuel surcharges. FIATA releases best-practices guide for electronic contracting As more freight forwarders rely wholly on digital means to create contracts, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations ( FIATA ) has released a best-practices guide on electronic contracting. The guide, developed by the FIATA Advisory Body on Legal Matters, “takes into account various practices around the world from a global perspective and provides practical tips to consider when using electronic contracts,” according to FIATA. The clock is ticking! It is your last chance to join Air Cargo Next for its second annual Air Cargo Tech Summit on Sept. 18-19 in Brussels, sponsored by Unisys and Brussels Airport and featuring a fireside chat with Brian Hodges, managing director, American Airlines Cargo. For more details and to register, click here .

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