Unisys Corporation today announced that members of the Unisys Cargo Users Group (UCUG) have voted to comply with all Cargo 2000 standards as they are established to strengthen the ability of the traditional air freight industry to deliver competitive services worldwide. The vote came in a two-day meeting in Berlin prior to the 25th Unisys Airline Users Association (UAUA) conference. Cargo 2000 is a special IATA interest group formed by leading airlines and freight forwarders to improve the traditional air freight industry through the implementation of agreed business processes and automation standards. "We are certain that the recommendations of Cargo 2000 will go a long way toward improving and strengthening our industry," said Shawn McWhorter, general manager of revenue management, cargo, for Delta Air Lines and incoming chairman of UCUG. "The members of UCUG will make those recommendations a top priority and will begin to implement standards immediately when they are announced." McWhorter added that airlines will be at a competitive disadvantage in delivery of services if they take a "wait and see attitude" and delay implementing Cargo 2000-recommended standards. Lothar Moehle, general manager of air cargo for freight forwarding company Schenker International AG and a member of the Cargo 2000 Executive Board, said, "I am pleased that airlines, forwarders, and Cargo 2000 are working together to implement standards for the good of the entire air freight industry. It makes sense to work on standards as a group rather than working as individuals on separate standards." UCUG comprises representatives of 15 global airlines, including Delta, Air Canada, Northwest, Varig, Polar Air, Sabena, Air France, Lufthansa, Qantas, DragonAir, All Nippon Air, Nippon Cargo, Air India, Cathay Pacific, and Winnport. For the past two years, Unisys has worked closely with Cargo 2000 to spearhead the movement for airlines and freight forwarders to cooperate in non-competitive areas to deliver time-definite, low-cost, global services, including 48- to 72-hour, door-to-door delivery. Unisys Virtual Integrator Suite (VIS) platform supports Cargo 2000 objectives, enabling freight forwarders and airlines to provide reliable, time-definite delivery around the world. VIS helps the traditional air freight industry reduce delivery costs and control the flow of goods from shipper to consignee, emulating the closed loop systems currently used by major integrated operators. A closed loop system is a set of standardized processes, cycle performance measurements, and controls supported by existing technological capabilities, such as bar coding and "smart scanning," that monitor the movement of every piece of a shipment. "Unisys is committed to keeping its clients on the leading edge in technology and competitiveness," said Gail Blauer Jones, vice president of Freight Management, Unisys Worldwide Transportation. "Part of that commitment is in the development of products like Virtual Integrator Suite. Another important part of that commitment is taking a leadership role in organizations like UCUG to make sure that airlines and forwarders work together for the future of the air freight industry."
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