Forward-thinking solutions are transforming the logistics sector from a disjointed ecosystem into a cohesive, synchronised symphony.
“The air cargo industry has historically suffered from fragmentation,” Joke Aerts, Director of Marketing at Nallian, said. “Digital systems can now connect stakeholders in the landside process, such as ground handlers, freight forwarders, and trucking companies, enabling them to share data and align operations.”
Truck visit coordination, dock door appointments, and shipment status visibility—from customs clearance to payment processing—are now transparent and actionable in real-time.
“Handlers can have cargo ready at the dock door at the time of the pick-up, staff can be scheduled based on actual activity, trips can be planned in view of shipment readiness,” Aerts explained, creating significant operational gains, dramatically shortening turnaround times and driving predictability.
Moreover, Nallian’s open ecosystem tackles another long-standing industry woe: incompatible IT infrastructure.
“Our solution integrates with other IT systems, so users can leverage existing systems and investments and maximise the usage of data across the end-to-end landside process,” Aerts added.
Start Small, Scale Fast
For all the promise of digitisation, the journey from manual processes to interconnected smart hubs can be daunting, especially for players still dependent on paper and phone calls. That’s why companies are being encouraged to take a measured, strategic rollout.
“In a network setting, focus on digitising processes that bring quick, visible wins for all—like truck slot booking. Demonstrating success quickly creates internal buy-in and accelerates broader adoption,” Aerts emphasised
This approach is particularly effective for logistics providers and airport stakeholders who may not yet have a mature digital infrastructure. By delivering fast results, Nallian’s Cargo Community System can help organisations build trust in the digital transformation process.
“For less digitally mature players, it’s key to prove value early to build trust in the digital process,” Aerts said. “Our implementation team supports customers with a proven framework covering communication, training, monitoring, and behaviour steering.”
“They bring hands-on experience from diverse airport and cargo warehouse setups, helping customers transition smoothly without disruption,” says Aerts. That kind of experience can mean the difference between a failed rollout and a transformative success.
Real-time data
The real power of digitisation lies in visibility—and in airfreight, where time is measured in minutes and not hours, visibility is everything.
“Stakeholders can share, consult, and validate information in real time—from shipment and slot booking status to customs release and truck arrival,” Aerts said.
Through a self-service portal, parties can pre-validate shipments, reduce last-minute surprises, and intervene early when issues arise. “This visibility reduces bottlenecks and allows earlier intervention, shortening turnaround times and enabling proactive decision-making,” Aerts added.
By collecting granular operational data—from truck gate entry to dock door exit—the system enables a new level of performance intelligence. “Our system captures granular operational data across the journey—using, for example, ANPR cameras and barcode scanning,” Aerts said. “Operational data is centralised and made accessible in dashboards and reports, allowing for performance monitoring and benchmarking, bottleneck detection, and continuous improvement.”
Beyond the gate:
Digitisation doesn’t just streamline operations—it can dramatically reduce the airfreight industry’s carbon footprint. And with sustainability now a top-tier priority for regulators and consumers alike, this has never been more critical.
“Scheduled truck visits and faster turnaround mean less idling—at the cargo hub and the surrounding area, which has a major impact on CO2 emissions,” Aerts explained. This impact is amplified in hotter climates, where cooling units must run continuously. Cutting wait times, therefore, translates directly to lower emissions.
Nallian’s Truck Visit Management solution is engineered for this purpose. “By enabling dock scheduling, trucks arrive at planned times instead of unannounced,” Aerts said. “Integration with systems like CMS, TMS and call-forwarding ensure a smoother flow at the gate and loading docks, reducing waiting times, queue build-up, and operational stress.”
The results speak for themselves: “Our solution has reduced wait times to up to 90 percent, resulting in significant savings in times of fuel and labour cost,” Aerts states.
Even trip planning sees benefits. “Greater service predictability also helps forwarders and trucking companies optimise trips, reducing the number of empty or inefficient runs,” Aerts adds. It’s a virtuous cycle: efficiency enables sustainability, and sustainability fuels long-term operational and economic resilience.
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Author: Edward Hardy
