Freight forwarders Kuhne+Nagel (K+N) and Schenker are testing a new digital pick-up authorisation system for the pick up of cargo at Frankfurt airport as part of efforts to replace paper processes.
The digital authorisation process has been developed by IT firm allivate and will run through the airport cargo community system FAIR @ Link.
The two freight forwarders, along with handling agent LUG and forwarding service provider CHI Cargo, will test the new digital process over the coming two months.
Instead of the physical collection order, the pilot partners will use the FAIRLink platform to transfer the digital authorisation for pick-up as verification for the release of the shipment.
Allivate managing director Martina Schikorr said: “The new digital authorisation for pick-up enables efficient handover of shipments and represents a huge leap forward in the digitalisation of logistics processes at Frankfurt Airport.
”At the same time, it also improves the traceability of pick-up processes, which leads to greater transparency and security throughout the entire supply chain.”
Authorisation for pick-up can take place up to two hours before touchdown.
“With our platform, it is easy to see at a glance when the cargo is ready for pick-up and authorized for pick-up, what the customs status is and, if applicable, the dangerous goods status. Truck slot booking is also integrated. This enables the earliest possible scheduling and avoids wasted trips,” added allivate in a press release.
The check-in process at the handling agent has also been simplified and instead of manually checking pick-up authorisations and readiness in multiple systems, all information will be provided digitally and proactively via a single channel.
The new Smart Pick-up module is set to expand into regular operations in the second half of 2025 and will be available for use throughout the entire Frankfurt Airport.
This is not the only pilot project at the airport K+N has been involved in so far this year.
In March, K+N and cargo handler Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) launched a trucking control tower to speed up the handling of the forwarder’s cargo at Frankfurt Airport.
The pilot scheme was developed by WFS’ E-commerce & Freight Forwarder Handling (EFFH) team and K+N and involves the use of the control tower to schedule truck movements between WFS’ FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services facility and the forwarder’s gateway warehouse.
