Cross-stakeholder organization Cargo iQ has made key updates to its Quality Management System (QMS), adding a Visibility Maps function and new milestones to its Route Map Planning as it celebrates 25 years of operation.

Cargo iQ Route Maps, which enable the journey of an air cargo shipment to be planned and monitored, could until now only be created if all flight details were available in advance.

If segments remained missing when the shipment started to move, no Route Map would be available and an error message would be sent to the airline, leading to reporting gaps.

An incomplete Route Map, known as a ‘Visibility Map’, can now be created on the Cargo Data Management Platform (CDMP) when a status update has been received for a shipment, even if gaps remain in the data, bringing visibility of previously unavailable data regarding a shipment’s journey.

“As Cargo iQ turns 25, we are focused on embracing digitalization, for example by providing truck drivers with technical tools to send shipment status updates, as the path to a seamless and transparent supply chain,” said Lothar Moehle, Executive Director, Cargo iQ.

“Working together is key to achieving this as an industry, and Cargo iQ continues to provide a vital platform for true cross-stakeholder collaboration with our ever-growing membership.”

Further improvements to Cargo iQ’s QMS have seen the addition of Freight into Warehouse (FIW) and Freight out of Warehouse (FOW) milestones to the Route Map, meaning that shipment handover between the warehouse handler and the ramp handler can now be monitored and recorded.

The introduction of Visibility Maps and new shipment milestones will support anticipated technological developments in the airfreight sector and jointly serve Cargo iQ’s principal aim to bring improved visibility to the supply chain.

Since its inception as Cargo 2000 in 1997, Cargo iQ has made several milestone achievements, including the creation of the Master Operating Plan in 1999, the introduction of Quality Reports in 2002, and the commencement of an external audit scheme in 2015–16, to validate that members are operating in accordance with Cargo iQ specifications.

In 2018 a training program was established, teaching best practice guidance for air cargo operations, followed by the first online training in 2020 in response to the pandemic.

Over the past 25 years, Cargo iQ membership has grown to include more than 60 members from increasing layers of the supply chain, most recently including small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) forwarders.

Looking ahead, the organization and its members are staying firmly focused on bringing further tangible improvements to the cargo sector, starting on the road.

“We are working on the specification and simple communication and messaging tools for Road Feeder Services (RFS) to bring improved planning and monitoring capabilities for shipments travelling under AWB on the roads,” said Moehle.

“This is another key development to improve quality and visibility in the global air cargo supply chain.”