Freight forwarders can now submit the electronic air waybill (e-AWB) via the first express kiosk to be established in the Philippines, allowing them to realize cost and time savings and improve their efficiency.
The eAWB Express Kiosk was launched recently in Manila by Philippine Airport Ground Support Solutions, Inc. (PAGSS), together with Cargo Community Network (CCN) and Cargo Data Exchange Center, Inc. (CDEC).
The express kiosk is a joint project that aims to accelerate the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) e-AWB initiative by enabling freight forwarders, especially small and medium-sized ones, to submit the electronic master AWB (MAWB) and print neutral master AWB (NAWB) right at the point of cargo lodging.
The project is also seen to encourage more freight forwarders to go digital, starting by submitting the e-AWB.
PAGGS provided the site for the kiosk, CCN the digital platform, and CDEC the customer service representatives.
The kiosk, located at the mezzanine of the PAGSS warehouse in Pasay City, is a fully air-conditioned area with PC and printer setups made available for the processors of customs brokers and freight forwarders to create, revise, and print MAWB using CCNhub, CCN’s web-based community system. The online hub enables freight forwarders to input, revise, and submit the e-AWB, which is the first step in complying with the e-AWB requirements of airlines.
For freight forwarders with their own system, the kiosk will enable them to input amendments right after the final weigh-in, eliminating the need to go back to their office. After amendment, the data can be printed on the NAWB paper and submitted to Customs right away, allowing for the faster processing of shipment documents.
“We are very much honored to be the site of the first e-AWB express kiosk in the country. PAGSS has always been on the lookout for ways to help the industry improve its processes and embrace innovation and this project is definitely a way to achieve these goals,” PAGSS president and chief executive officer (CEO) Janette Cordero said in a statement.
“As the country progresses, the challenge of matching resources and infrastructure with the flourishing volume is always a top concern. Going digital by leveraging on technology is the way going forward, to be more competitive and be ready for greater business,” CCN CEO Teow Boon Ling said.
The kiosk is not limited to users of the PAGSS warehouse but may be used by all freight forwarders sending e-AWB to airlines.
CCN marketing executive Kathy Alcala, during a presentation at the kiosk launching on October 16, said sending e-AWB through the kiosk is cheaper than transacting with airlines. Aside from cost savings, freight forwarders also save time by not having to brave the heavy Manila traffic to return to their office just to encode the amendments, thus improving their efficiency and productivity.
She added that enabling freight forwarders to send e-AWB is an important step as the air cargo industry moves toward electronic freight (e-freight).
During the same event, Samuel David, IATA country manager to the Philippines, said that sending e-AWB is the first stage in achieving e-freight, an industry-wide program that aims to build an end-to-end paperless transportation process for air cargo, made possible through a regulatory framework, modern electronic messages, and high quality of data.
He added that the Philippines, having ratified the Montreal Convention 1999, formally known as the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, in 2015, is legally bound to use electronic documentation for shipments in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
CCN’s Boon Ling noted that going digital is now the way forward, as thousands of packages are handled daily due to the growing e-commerce industry, and rising air cargo volumes put a strain on the manual process.
PAGSS’s Cordero, meanwhile, said sending e-AWB does not only benefit freight forwarders, but other players in the industry as well, such as airlines and ground handlers like PAGSS. She added that in the long term, the efficiencies and productivity realized from going digital could also boost the growth of air shipments in the country, since service providers will be able to handle bigger volumes. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of punsayaporn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
