How CLIVE is helping DHL set a new standard in the commercial air cargo market.

Given the complexity inherent in global airfreight booking and allocation systems the notion that Microsoft Excel is widely used as the default decision making support tool is nothing short of surprising. However this was the case when DHL engaged CLIVE with an objective of finding a better way to manage their global network.

The current December issue of Airline Cargo Management titled ‘When DHL met CLIVE’ discusses the leap forward taken by DHL from a reliance on an excel based tool to implementing advanced technology through CLIVE’s customised software-as-a- service (SAAS) application.

CLIVE worked with a unit of DHL Aviation, Air Capacity Sales (ACS), which sells the airline’s spare capacity to forwarders, to help smooth-out the imbalances that typically occur within major cargo airlines. In the article, Paul Ennis, managing director of ACS, had previously used excel and found; “The accuracy of the information was inadequate and there was no real-time visibility on capacity allocation, especially taking into account that DHL Aviation has such a complex network.”

“It’s an amazing leap forward” – Ennis

Ennis goes on to explain that his customers tend to want fixed or agreed allocations on various sectors. “We have lots of demand for pre-allocated capacity. We didn’t have a system before – we used an Excel sheet to manage allocations, so we were interested in CLIVE. It’s an amazing leap forward.”

CLIVE’s software services combine in-depth knowledge of the air cargo industry with an intuitive user experience

Commercial decision making in air cargo is complex and made even more so when confronted with volatile markets, fragmented processes, legacy technology and scattered information. The article quotes CLIVE’s tagline, which is ‘bringing humanised technology to the air cargo domain’. It is the company’s conviction that order and simplicity are the best response to the complexity surrounding commercial decision-making in air cargo.

To support three key management processes; allocation, demand forecasting and operations, CLIVE built separate applications for distinct processes; which allowed DHL to present its clients only with the information they need, keeping the applications clutter free.

The new insights provided by this service allowed DHL to generate additional value from their global air cargo network.

In the article Ennis confirmed that CLIVE gives ACS more accuracy and efficiency across the global network. “Running a network involves multiple sectors which we can put in a single view, allowing us to tell the customer immediately what the options are. If they require capacity we can give an instantaneous answer. The real benefits are for the customer. It’s much more accurate, clean and neat,” Ennis said.

“CLIVE gives ACS more accuracy and efficiency across the global network” – Ennis

One unexpected benefit was the way it affected the team, he adds. “People feel more empowered to engage with customers as we have a clearer view of what is going on. You never get a second chance to fill an aircraft, and now we can talk facts and figures with customers. “We learned things – it forced us to go into more detail, made us look at our business more closely.”

About CLIVE

CLIVE provides humanized technology to the air cargo industry. Commercial decision making in air cargo is complex and CLIVE’s goal is to add order to this complexity by developing easy to use, customised applications from scratch, making practical use of highly advanced mathematics.

CLIVE is part of the Biarri Group of Companies (Biarri Optimisation, Biarri Networks, and Render Networks), that work to provide accessible optimisation to all businesses.