Air Waybill - Automation of air freight at Zurich Airport

The Automation of business processesincluding the archiving of Air Waybills (AWB) Logistics sector has become increasingly important to improve efficiency and accuracy in the Logistics Industry. In this context, we would like to present a successful example of the implementation of an automated AWB archiving system at a logistics company on the Zurich Airport introduce.

Initial situation

A leading logistics company at Zurich Airport was faced with the challenge of optimizing its document archiving. In view of the growing volume of air freight shipments and the increasing legal requirements, an efficient and precise solution was required. The focus was on the selection and processing of air waybills (AWB).

Challenge

An Air Waybill (AWB) is an extremely important document in the field of air freight, as it brings together all the essential information about the shipment and at the same time acts as a legal contract between the sender and the airline. In view of this, it is of the utmost importance that this document is filled out extremely precisely and conscientiously and stored carefully.

As the number of freight shipments increased, so did the requirements for document storage. The variety of information contained in AWBs required a flexible and reliable solution in order to meet the specific requirements of the logistics company and those of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on a permanent basis.

Before the introduction of the automated system, the Air Waybill Archiving process manually. Employees were forced to scan each AWB individually and store the digitized files in a local storage system. This process was extremely time-consuming, resource-intensive and prone to errors.

Objective

To overcome these issues and increase efficiency, the company decided to implement an automated AWB archiving system. The aim of the implementation was to ensure compliance with legal regulations and to improve customer service in the long term. The digitization and indexing of documents was to be automated in order to optimize access, management and data processing. The target system for the data was Cargospot - a comprehensive cargo handling and terminal management system that can be used by ground handlers and terminal operators.

Solution

The logistics company decided to implement a customized software solution from Konfuzio. Thanks to Konfuzio's extensive experience in intelligent document processing, its high level of accuracy in reading and processing data and its comprehensive options for adapting the software to the company's individual needs, the company saw Konfuzio as the perfect partner for optimizing its own processes. Konfuzio ensured comprehensive process optimization and automated data transfer to the Cargospot target system.

Important functionalities of Konfuzio

• Automation function - The IDP-engine and the Konfuzio AI are central to efficient data extraction and processing. They ensure the reliable and automated selection of air waybills.
• Document splitting - Konfuzio's Splitting AI enables the automatic segmentation of multi-page document streams. This means that large AWB documents can be reliably separated and processed individually.
• RPA software - RPA robots play a crucial role in the automated archiving of air waybills (AWB) at Zurich Airport. RPA software (Robotic Process Automation) offers easy-to-use data integration tools and thus enables employees to handle even complex Simplify and automate data flows.
• Integration capability - The Konfuzio interface (API) enables seamless integration with the logistics company's existing workflow systems (Cargospot), which ensures efficient interaction and data transfer.

Hosting

The logistics company decided to use an on-premise solution from Konfuzio. This means that the on-site servers are used to process the air waybills and no services from the cloud are used. In this way, data protection is maximized and full control over the processed data is maintained. In addition, the On-Premises solution This enables the customer to make customized adjustments and adapt the system environment precisely to internal requirements.

Hardware requirements

For the implementation of Konfuzio in the on-premise environment of Zurich Airport, specific hardware requirements had to be met in advance by the logistics company.

• Specific hardware - IT had to ensure that the hardware met the VM requirements of Konfuzio. Details can be found in the installation guide at Konfuzio On-Premises Installation Guide.
• RAM and CPU - The configuration of RAM and CPU also had to meet the minimum requirements of Konfuzio. These requirements are described in detail at Konfuzio Hardware Requirements described.

Technical implementation

The technical implementation at the logistics company began with a detailed needs analysis to determine the company's specific requirements and objectives. This was followed by the development phase, during which Konfuzio's developers adapted and optimized the software.

In the subsequent test phase, the software was extensively tested to ensure that it met all requirements. After successful testing, the system was implemented throughout the company. RPA robots played a crucial role in automated archiving and data integration. The intuitive user interface of the RPA software enabled employees to use the new software efficiently.

Result and conclusion

Thanks to the implementation of the automated archiving system the logistics company was able to significantly improve its processes. Automation improved process stability enormously compared to manual archiving. Today, AWBs can be found in the archiving system almost as soon as the air freight is received and employees or robots can find AWBs in the archive directly at the customer's request and make them available to the customer.

The new system also facilitates compliance with legal requirements by ensuring that all AWBs are stored securely for the prescribed period. In addition, the ability to retrieve AWBs quickly and easily improved customer service and facilitated internal processes such as financial accounting and audits.

Overall, the implementation of the automated AWB archiving system at Zurich Airport was a great success and an example of how digitalization and automation in the logistics industry can lead to more efficient and effective processes.