News / Air cargo IT specialist iTran in cooperation deal with HNA Group's logistics arm

11/12/2017

iTran Systems, a Chinese air cargo IT system provider, has achieved something of a coup with the announcement that it is to partner with HNA Modern Logistics.

A long-term cooperation and partnership will see them jointly develop air cargo IT and logistics software and technology.

The first phase will involve an integrated sales and booking platform for HNA Group’s six airlines, which include Yangtze Cargo Airlines, myCargo, Hongkong Cargo Airlines and Tianjin Cargo Airlines. It will include an app for warehouse management that includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system.

And next year, the pair will cooperate on a cargo revenue accounting system.

HNA Group also has a stake in 16 airports in China, as well as in handler Swissport, giving iTrans a wide variety of stakeholders with which to work.

“Our team now has the ability to bring new technology to this outdated industry,” said Li Jin, CEO of iTran. “The first AGV warehouse will go live at the end of this year in Tianjin Airport.

“We provided  big data technology to SF Express to reduce 9.2% of its booking cost, now we are working with Hainan Airlines to introduce non-human drivers to the ramp side. We are making the air cargo industry faster, more cost-efficient and, as a consequence, it delivers better service to its customers.”

iTran now also has Oliver Neerfeld as executive vice president. He worked at CHAMP Cargosystems until September, and CHAMP too has just announced something of a coup – it has signed Flexport, a tech-enabled forwarder, which has integrated with Champ’s messaging platform, Traxon cargoHUB, and its premium tracking service.

But it has also become the first customer for CHAMP’s new cargoJSON data-interchange platform. Language-independent, it is fully interoperable with IATA’s cargoIMP and cargo XML formats.

Flexport said it was attracted by CHAMP’s community.

“We’re constantly seeking new partners to get better information for our clients,” said Phoebe Rockwood, air freight product manager at Flexport. “We’re glad we found CHAMP, which offers a modern cargoJSON API that makes it easy for our team to seamlessly integrate their information into our product

“CHAMP has made this possible with its large community reach, comprehensive solution and related services, and state-of the-art communication technology.”

Flexport also told The Loadstar that, since August, it too has offered a carbon calculator to customers, as well as a carbon offset programme, following an article last week.

“Flexport has always had a mission to fix the broken processes in global trade through technology,” said a Flexport spokesperson. “Minimising carbon emissions with shipping transparency is just one of the ways the company is working to improve supply chain sustainability.”