There’s no doubt that the air cargo industry garnered significant media attention in recent months as it works to keep up with surging demand, not to mention the rise in e-commerce and return of international trade.
The reported supply chain delays and the end of cargo-in-the-cabin (CIC) flights have placed growing pressure on couriers to deliver consignments as scheduled and keep costs to a minimum. This means that now more than ever, the freight sector should streamline their document management processes to save valuable operational time.
At Web Manuals, our aim is to provide effective digital document management for the entire aviation sector, allowing our customers spare capacity to focus on other business areas. We spoke with cargo customer, K-Mile Air, to discuss how the business utilizes our digital compliance library to not only streamline the regulation process and match demand but also help achieve IATA certification.
Based at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand, K-Mile Air is an express airline that caters for the growing air freight industry in Southeast Asia. Jiratchaya Janmanee, document controller at K-Mile, oversees the editing and distributing of the airline’s regulation manuals.
Overcoming consistency errors
Jiratchaya says, “We made the decision to implement Web Manuals earlier this year and despite still being a work in progress, have already seen vast improvements in our administrative operation. Prior to switching to digital manuals, we relied heavily on administrators to edit our safety manuals which was a tedious task and prone to human error.
“The decision to switch to digital was led by our admin and document control teams, who sought to fix document consistency errors. It’s safe to say that our operation has improved considerably since we began employing Web Manuals’ document management system.”
Building confidence
K-Mile currently operates under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Thailand, as well as other CAA authorities of the countries it delivers to, including Hong Kong and Bangkok.
“We’re hoping to gain IOSA certification over the next year or so. As a global regulatory standard, working with IATA will provide us with an opportunity to deliver internationally and further support our industry. Having an integrated digitized document management and safety tool, we feel in a better position to obtain IOSA certification than with our former system.”
The IATA’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Programme is an internationally recognized audit standard designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.
IATA is currently working with the Cargo Operations & Technology Board (COTB) in a bid to modernize its cargo standards. As a clear move toward complete digitization, the collaboration suggests that IATA seeks to approve operators that drive digital integration and streamlined processes, such as the application of digital documentation libraries.
Approaching a changing landscape
Despite the headlines focusing on the ongoing strains cargo operators appear to be experiencing, K-Mile can face the challenges with the support of Web Manuals’ digital document management system.
“Over the past two years, every industry has been faced with the challenge of keeping up with new safety regulations and quarantine restrictions, and more recently, the end of CIC flights has affected all airlines – whether they be passenger or cargo. That said, we view the end of CIC flights as an opportunity for more trade, and during COVID, our business could still successfully operate due to the increased demand in medical supplies, that we are authorized to deliver under the CAA.”
In June, IATA announced that the air cargo industry is performing well against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, with industry profitability forecast for 2023.
“Our industry has learned to adapt to change at short notice. Having a simpler safety management process means that we can deal with developments quicker. Not only do we now have the capability to easily track regulation amendments, but our team has more time to strategically plan K-Mile’s approach to a changing landscape.
“Overall, we’ve built greater resilience with access to consistently accurate manuals, the confidence to deal with change and the ability to communicate effectively.”