Airfreight 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.

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.

Further improvements to the QMS are 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.

“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 Cargo iQ executive director Lothar Moehle (pictured).

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

Moehle added: “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.”