Top-down or bottom-up? This was the question that Nallian had to answer for itself, and that was to become the guiding principle of its strategy. The Belgian IT and data sharing specialist opted for top-down. However, it is now increasingly relying on the bottom-up principle in its business policy, as key for broader applications.
CEO, Jean Verheyen confirms his company's new focus: “Until the start of the Corona pandemic, we concentrated almost entirely on equipping airports with a digital infrastructure that enables cargo communities to coordinate cross-company processes. But since then, we have broadened our activities with solutions for individual customers. Implementing a community-wide Cargo Cloud requires a certain level of digital maturity, change management - and hence, time. Yet, we noticed a growing appetite from single companies to speed up their digitization journey.” For example, ground handling agent, Menzies Aviation at Los Angeles Airport: there, Nallian partners with Hermes Logistics Technologies and provides a Truck Visit Management Solution. With the solution, the handling agent makes its dock door capacity available to trucking companies and freight forwarders who, in turn, book slots for their pickups and deliveries, and share freight details digitally. As a result, the handler can deploy its employees in a more targeted manner, peaks can be smoothed out, and waiting times for deliveries or pickups can be reduced or avoided altogether.
Reception desk becomes redundant
Soon, there will no longer be a reception desk for truckers, consignees, or suppliers of goods. Instead, a kiosk will welcome new arrivals, releasing and handing over the goods after the person
in charge has registered electronically and inserted the Air Waybill number.
Nallian has not only broadened its solution scope but also its footprint. According to Mr Verheyen, the company now serves customers across Europe, the US, and Asia, from its offices in Brussels
and Singapore, and is looking to open up more offices around the world to support its growth. Also, strategic partnerships, such as for example with Hermes, fit that growth strategy: “Our
solutions focus on cross-company processes, and are often a nice add-on for specialized IT solutions in our industry. The open approach of our solutions makes it possible to offer a stronger
product together.”
From one to many
Menzies / Nallian / LAX is still an isolated tripartite solution, but it opens the possibility of expanding the cooperation model and involving other players doing business there. The Truck Visit
Management Solution perfectly fits a Cargo Cloud approach in which handlers exchange information and data for different processes with forwarders, trucking companies, airlines, other ground
handling agent and – last, but not least - the airport's cargo division.
All-in-one solution
Another solution that serves individual actors is Check-it. The mobile and web app digitizes the fragmented and mostly paper-based process of repetitive checks such as the acceptance check or
health & safety audits.
“Thanks to our Check-it app, customers enjoy smoother execution and real-time status-visibility, with a single solution for data capture, monitoring, the automatic sending of notifications,
and reporting.”
Mentality change
According to Mr. Verheyen, the digitization of air freight appeals strongly to young talent as it corresponds to their reality of life. He points out that, for the most part, the cargo industry
is not at the top of the priority list of well-trained junior staff. “With a lack of staff being a problem throughout the industry, easy to operate, automated systems will not only speed up
processes and make them less susceptible to failure, but also increase attractiveness for workers. In the end, the use of data sharing models is also a sign of how mature an industry is, and thus
how fit it is for the future.”
Heiner Siegmund
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