Descartes Systems Group has developed a new application in line with the electronic freight initiative of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The tool, called Descartes e-Pouch, is aimed at helping participants in the airfreight industry to automate and standardize the cargo-shipment process. IATA's initiative is an industry-wide program aimed at reducing the use of paper documents in the airfreight supply chain by moving to an electronic environment. It involves airlines, shippers, freight forwarders, ground handling agents and customs authorities. Descartes' service helps users to group electronic shipment documents into a unified construct, or "e-Pouch." They can share information with appropriate parties, automate routine interactions, flag problems such as missing documents and create a repository for the retrieval of completed deliveries. Built upon Descartes' Global Logistics Network, e-Pouch integrates with the vendor's multi-party suite of air cargo management tools, including modules for bookings, shipment monitoring, quality performance, reporting and customs filing.
