Lufthansa upgrades cargo management system

   Lufthansa Cargo said this week it will begin using a new freight movement management system developed by India supply chain IT provider IBS.
   The German airline will use IBS’ iCargo product, ending an 18-month search for a system to replace its nearly three-decades-old legacy system, Unisys’s MOSAIK platform.
   Lufthansa will host the system at its own data center near Frankfurt, with iCargo designed to tie into its other IT system. IBM will handle system integration.
   iCargo is a Web-based system that stitches together real-time functions in the air cargo management process, from sales to terminal operations.
   All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Qantas, South African Airways and Nippon Cargo Airlines are other iCargo users.
   “The clear differentiator is the state of the art architecture/technology as well as the skilled employees,” said Roland Schatz, chief information officer for of Lufthansa Cargo. “Furthermore iCargo is unique in offering consistent process support with its single platform ranging from sales processes to handling as well as ULD management and up to revenue accounting. This mix of strengths has clearly convinced us.”
   In 2011 Lufthansa transported roughly 1.9 million tons of freight. The company currently employs about 4,600 people worldwide, with around 4,000 expected to be users of the iCargo system. – Eric Johnson