Hitit’s Cargo Management Systems consider the business and technical requirements of the entire logistics chain.
Atilla Lise, Chief Transportation Solutions Officer at Hitit was ideally placed to head up the company’s Cargo Management Systems (CMS). More than three decades of experience in both business and technical fields enabled him to ensure the products were practical and encompassed the best of both worlds.
“We needed a solution that answered air cargo’s needs,” he says. “It is easy to say but not so easy to do.”
The CMS are web-based, interoperable, secure, scalable, and user-friendly. Importantly, the modular design makes it possible to start with core modules and add as needed. And modules cover all aspects of air cargo transportation from acceptance to final delivery.
The modular design was necessary as the air cargo value chain has an enormous number of partners. So, though the CMS are based on comparable solutions in the passenger field, they had to go far beyond anything Hitit had developed before.
“Cargo is more complicated than passenger operations,” says Lise. “A passenger getting a ticket from an airline is a straightforward, direct interaction. There may be one intermediary. But in cargo there are multiple partners. There is a broker, customs, a buyer, the carrier, and many more. All must be integrated and understand how the shipment information is being presented.”
Making matters even more complex has been the organic growth along the value chain, meaning every sub-sector—and sometimes every company—has its own IT systems and data formatting standards. For many, paper remained king until recent times. And even if a company had made the move away from paper, it often only digitized a paper process. The result is that integration is extremely problematic.
“We took the view that we needed to create a true digital flow from the outset,” says Lise. “We needed to align all the players, improve transparency, and enable better data exchange. Our CMS are smart solutions. They can adapt and evolve and will help move the industry away from peer-to-peer connections to a common platform.”
IATA’s cargo initiatives have helped inform the content of the CMS. Beginning with e-freight and the e-air waybill and following that path through to ONE Record, a data sharing standard that will become mandatory in 2026, has allowed the CMS to embrace industry development from both a business and technical perspective.
“IATA is creating a path to follow,” says Lise. “But Hitit has been very active in all industry discussions around standards and best practice. We present our ideas and listen to the ideas of others. Our aim is to make best product possible and ensure that product is implementable and profitable for our partners.”
There is no doubt that logistics companies are facing an era of unprecedented breakthroughs. Air cargo expectations have changed as a result. A faster, more flexible, and transparent service for shipments is possible. Hitit’s goal is to be an invisible partner in this paradigm shift.
TOMORROW: Read all about the future of air cargo digitalization
