From September 2021, priority handling for export cargo that has been digitally pre-notified via eLink, will become standard practice at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This system will be included in the ‘ready for carriage’ procedure.
Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN), the industry association for the air cargo chain, is an important driver behind this development. “The Digital Pre-Notification project is the first essential
step toward far-reaching digitization of the air cargo chain in the Netherlands,” says ACN’s Managing Director, Maarten van As.
“This digitization is necessary to retain and improve our competitive position. It is also about the competitive position of the air cargo chain relative to other chains and the
position of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. But it also allows the improvement of the individual parties’ effectiveness in the chain.”
The cargo community expects that this digitization will contribute towards cost efficiency, speed, security, and reliability in the process of delivering cargo at the airport.
Forwarders, haulers, and the handling agents at Schiphol who have already moved to the new system, are still busy adjusting their systems and internal processes. They advise stragglers to jump
aboard as quickly as possible.
Multi-party approach
The central database of the eLink system forms the basis for digital pre-notification. Parties provide information on delivery, the type of cargo, legal agreements, and the destination of their
cargo, while ensuring they have green lights with regard to Customs directives and the rules for the transport of dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals, and phytosanitary goods. The parties check the
part of the export consignment process for which they have responsibility: the FWB has to be complete, the consignment must be declared AvSec and be Customs-cleared.
Chantal Klok, Transport Manager at DB Schenker, says that everything must be 100% correct and entered in the correct fields. “Only when everything is on green, can the consignment leave for
the airport and fly.”
Error and timesaving
Errors show up sooner in the new system. This increases reliability. Drivers no longer need to take papers to the handling agent’s counter with the added benefit that fewer in-person contacts are
necessary. Safety first in these times of corona. On top of this, because they can drive directly to the dock, they are much faster.
Arnold Verduijn Project and Account Manager of D.J. Middelkoop & Zn, and Transport Manager, Joey Lawalata of R. Nagel Transport, have already seen the direct results: “A driver who
arrived to deliver a consignment at the airport at midnight was sometimes still there at 7 a.m. in the morning. Now they have returned within the hour.”
Jeroen Baarda, Continuous Improvement Lead at handling agent WFS, also expects that there will be time savings as soon as the system is implemented across the board: “With pre-notification,
we see what is coming to us and with that information we can begin scheduling and validating sooner.”
eLink connection imperative
The forwarders, haulers, and handling agents already working with eLink are currently in a transitional period. They have to adjust their technical systems and get employees and customers on
board with this new way of working. In a best effort group, they regularly discuss any teething problems in the system which Cargonaut then takes up. These parties all expect to be ready by
01SEP21.
Anyone who has not yet started with eLink risks falling behind, Mr Lawalata warns: “Before you know what needs to happen, a month may have passed. Designating the correct people can easily
take a couple of weeks, as can implementing the system.”
Chantal Klok adds: “You cannot wait to find out what the challenges are for your processes. If you have not already done so, it is now a matter of urgency to very quickly get
connected.”
The expectation is that, with digital pre-notification via eLink at Schiphol, there are good times ahead. Jeroen Baarda: “We hope that, in the near future, the haulers will be able to deliver
cargo to our docks without any papers. We digitally sign off receipt of cargo and the forwarder can follow in real time in the system how his consignment gets its ready for carriage status and
how we then take it over.”
Arnold Verduijn concludes: “Data allows you to better manage and analyze, this being particularly the case for the haulers and handling agents. You can look at export times and slots, and
plan your trucks and drivers accordingly. But, most especially, you see how processes can be done differently and more efficiently. Completely paperless (eAWB) is therefore the dot on the
horizon.”
Marcel Schoeters in Amsterdam
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