“Digital Authorization for Pick-up” replaces collection order / Data in advance: authorization information available as early as two hours before landing / Customs status and readiness for pick-up in real time / Integrated slot booking / Expansion to all operations in the second half of the year

FRA, 13.05.2025 – The air cargo IT company allivate is digitalizing the pick-up process for import shipments at Frankfurt Airport. From now on, the relevant processes will run smoothly without paper documentation through the Cargo Community System FAIR@link under the name Smart Pick-up. The “Digital Authorization for Pick-up,” which replaces the former collection order, plays a central role in this. The pilot operation of Smart Pick-up is launched since the beginning of May.

Digital authorization instead of paper documents

Over a period of two months, the freight forwarders Kühne & Nagel and DB Schenker, the handling agent LUG and the freight forwarding service provider CHI Cargo will be testing the synergies of the new digital processes. Instead of the physical collection order, the pilot partners will use the FAIR@link platform to transfer the Digital Authorization for Pick-up as verification for the release of the shipment. “The new Digital Authorization for Pick-up enables efficient handover of shipments and represents a huge leap forward in the digitalization 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,” explains allivate Managing Director Martina Schikorr.

Authorization begins before landing

Smart Pick-up triggers processes on the ground while the shipments are still in the air. Authorization for pick-up can take place up to two hours before touchdown. As a result, once the freight arrives at Frankfurt Airport, it can be seamlessly forwarded along the transport chain. “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,” reports Gladiator.

Paperless handover of shipments

The check-in process at the handling agent has also been simplified. Instead of manually checking pick-up authorizations and readiness in multiple systems, all information will be provided digitally and proactively via a single channel. From an operational perspective, pilot participant Nouri Boulahrouz, Head of JETCargo Handling at DB Schenker, sums up the advantages: “Smart Pick-up allows digitally authorized persons or companies to pick up their shipments without having to rely on physical documents. This minimizes the risk of errors, forgeries or misuse and ensures the highest degree of security.”  

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.

We asked Fraport’s Brigitta Melius why this feature is so important. She is eager to launch the new module to the market.

Hardly any airport has a “Speedgate”. Why Frankfurt?

At the Speedgate - also known as a Neutral Cargo Transfer Point (NCTP) – cargo is transferred between land- and airside. The service is aiming at handling agents who do not have direct apron access. The facility includes around 100 interim parking lots for handling containers, pallets, and bulk cargo, covering an area of around 31,000 m².

Why do you want to launch Speedgate Connect?

We want to further improve the service for our customers. In my view, the visualization of the process is a key factor. In the future, Speedgate Connect will provide a dashboard with a graphical overview of the airside that displays the relevant information on import and export freight.

What will improve for the users?

The handling agent will easily see which ULD is ready for pick-up and can directly initiate a slot booking. In addition, the empty container providers will be connected systematically.

What happens next?

First, the dashboard will be designed as an MVP, with the initial version presented in late April. It will then enter user testing, and their feedback will be incorporated. Additionally, we aim to introduce a paperless authentication for the pickup to avoid the need for obtaining a physical pick-up slip.

What is the goal?

We want a seamless process chain with as few intermediate steps as possible. Our aim is to increase transparency between the processes of the numerous parties involved.  

Module available in the FAIR@Link Cargo Community System / Automated transfer of HS codes and HAWB data / Affects more than a quarter of import shipments in Frankfurt

Frankfurt 30.01.2025 – The air cargo IT specialist allivate is rolling out a new digital product by the name of “Easy Transit” at Frankfurt Airport. It simplifies and expedites the launch of the EU NCTS5 transit procedure and is available immediately in the Cargo Community System FAIR@Link. The catalyst for the latest market launch are the more stringent requirements for all participants in the NCTS5 customs procedure. Over a quarter of imported freight at Frankfurt Airport is affected.

How the NCTS module works
The most significant changes in the new NCTS5 version include the declaration of shipments at goods item level using the 6-digit HS code. Thanks to the allivate solution “Easy Transit,” the time-consuming manual entry of additional data is no longer necessary. allivate Managing Director Martina Schikorr explains: “Users simply upload the AWB numbers from their shipments to the FAIR@Link Cargo Community System. All the necessary information is compiled there. The transit procedure has already been automatically filled in when it is opened in the customs software. Only the information about the driver, truck and seal need to be added."

The new service is available immediately in the DAKOSY customs software ZODIAK. In the next configuration phase, additional customs providers can be connected via a neutral interface. Two major freight forwarders have already integrated the module and are already using it to fully manage the NCTS5 customs process.

For Schikorr, the reports from the logistics sector confirm: “Without digitalization, the changeover entails considerably more work. There is also the risk that shipments can be denied customs clearance if the new requirements are not complied with or are implemented incorrectly."

Triple digitalization: Time slots, door management and license plate recognition / Extension to other users beyond handling agents / More security and minimization of peaks in handling

FRA – DB Schenker in Germany is the first freight forwarder at Frankfurt Airport to introduce slot booking and ramp management via the FAIR@Link Cargo Community System developed by allivate. In addition, a license plate recognition system automatically opens the barrier gate to the site for pre-registered vehicles. The slot booking and ramp management system is already well established at the handling agents Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS), LUG, Swissport and Çelebi.

“With FAIR@Link, we have combined many benefits at once. We are making pick-ups and deliveries more flexible, balancing out door occupancy and providing automated and secure access to our facilities,” explains Nouri Boulahrouz, Head of JETCargo Handling at DB Schenker. Between 200 and 300 trucks arrive at the logistics company's air freight facility in CargoCity Süd at Frankfurt Airport every 24 hours.

"Starting immediately, dispatching and receiving companies as well as transporters can digitally reserve a time slot for loading and unloading. Since handling times vary greatly depending on the freight, FAIR@Link automatically calculates the individual duration of the time slot based on cargo details. “In 80 percent of air freight cases, the average slot length is 45 minutes,” says Dirk Gladiator, Management Director of allivate, providing a point of reference. Boulahrouz adds, “We are observing a positive change in behavior in terms of deliveries. The traffic system takes advantage of the increased flexibility in comparison to fixed schedules.”

In addition to making planning easier for truck drivers, DB Schenker is also using FAIR@Link to optimize management at the eleven ramps available for slot bookings so that they can be used to their full capacities. According to Boulahrouz, a further integration phase is currently being rolled out: “We are in the process of implementing an interface from our goods management system (WMS) to FAIR@Link in order to continue automated use of the data.”

For allivate Management Director Gladiator, the successful introduction at DB Schenker in Germany at Frankfurt Airport shows that slot booking and ramp management are ideally suited to other user groups such as freight forwarders and logistics companies and can produce high added value.  

About DB Schenker - JETCargo

DB Schenker operates an air freight hub for Europe at Frankfurt Airport in CargoCity Süd, which ensures fast and precise air freight handling for international transports. Over 30 DB Schenker offices in Germany alone use the hub and maintain scheduled services with the JETCargo hub in Frankfurt for their air freight imports and exports.  

New service developed by allivate joint venture to expand digital Cargo Community System – Real-time dashboard to show incoming cargo consignments at CargoCity South – World-first system for entire cargo process chain at FRA

A new ‘Cargo Dashboard’ service will display incoming cargo volumes and processes at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in real time – representing yet another milestone in optimizing cargo processes through digitization. The aim of the dashboard is to provide participating companies in the cargo community with a comprehensive overview of current operating conditions. Companies can use this data to assess these conditions realistically, allowing them to adjust their processes if necessary.

Martina Schikorr, Managing Director at allivate GmbH, explains: “The Cargo Dashboard supplies at-a-glance information about the entire process chain to all participants. This includes distribution of cargo volumes across the day, current throughput times, infrastructure utilization, as well as the overall process performance. The system allows bottlenecks to be identified and for resources to be more efficiently allocated. It also provides customers with reliable insights into performance.”

The user-friendly dashboard will be integrated into the existing FAIR@Link platform as part of the digital Cargo Community System to provide cargo community decision-makers in particular with valuable insights into current on-site process quality and efficiency.

The innovation from allivate has been made possible thanks to comprehensive data from the systems of a large number of companies, matched with the combined expertise of airport operator Fraport and IT firm DAKOSY.

Particularly noteworthy is the high level of cooperation from the companies at the site, which provide their data transparently. This underlines the close and trusting cooperation within the cargo community, which played a key role in the development. Unlike conventional Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards, allivate’s solution integrates data from a range of sources to provide a comprehensive and overarching state-of-play for all participants.

Anchoring digital infrastructure / Developing and operating cargo community systems / Faster market launch of new air cargo applications

The software provider DAKOSY and airport operator Fraport have established the joint venture allivate GmbH, in which both stakeholders hold a 50 percent share. The basis of the joint venture is the establishment, operation, and further development of cargo community systems for air freight. The partners endeavor to further advance the digitalization of air cargo processes both at Frankfurt Airport and internationally. Martina Schikorr (Fraport) and Dirk Gladiator (DAKOSY) have been appointed as Managing Directors.

The main goal of the venture is to further expand the jointly-established FAIR@Link Cargo Community System. With the founding of allivate, Fraport demonstrates its strong commitment to the cargo business. Schikorr sees this as a signal: "A functioning digital infrastructure is a must-have for every modern cargo hub. We want to offer our customers the best cargo community system possible so that their processes will run simply, smoothly, and quickly. More than 1,000 participating companies are thus given the commitment to have Fraport alongside DAKOSY as reliable partners for digital infrastructure and, with allivate, one central point of contact on site.”

Customers benefit from the synergies resulting from the alliance. Fraport contributes comprehensive airport know-how and its function as a neutral link to the local cargo community and the authorities. DAKOSY adds its wide-ranging IT expertise in all aspects of cargo handling and customs clearance as well as many years of experience in the development, operation and technical support of the Cargo Community System - Made in Germany. For Gladiator, the processes of air freight handling and digital infrastructure are inextricably linked: "We are pooling our strengths and can therefore launch innovations and digital solutions onto the market faster. The active role of the cargo community in Frankfurt plays an important part, as together we jointly develop all digital processes along the supply chain there.”

At the Frankfurt site, the partners are already taking digitalization to the next level with the Cargo Community System and its comprehensive database. Gladiator and Schikorr have identified three specific areas in which processes can be further streamlined and optimized. For example, customs requirements can be even more conveniently implemented, the digitalization process for land pick-ups and deliveries is to be further developed and e-commerce functionalities are to be automated to an even greater extent.

We asked Fraport’s Brigitta Melius why this feature is so important. She is eager to launch the new module to the market.

Hardly any airport has a “Speedgate”. Why Frankfurt?

At the Speedgate - also known as a Neutral Cargo Transfer Point (NCTP) – cargo is transferred between land- and airside. The service is aiming at handling agents who do not have direct apron access. The facility includes around 100 interim parking lots for handling containers, pallets, and bulk cargo, covering an area of around 31,000 m².

Why do you want to launch Speedgate Connect?

We want to further improve the service for our customers. In my view, the visualization of the process is a key factor. In the future, Speedgate Connect will provide a dashboard with a graphical overview of the airside that displays the relevant information on import and export freight.

What will improve for the users?

The handling agent will easily see which ULD is ready for pick-up and can directly initiate a slot booking. In addition, the empty container providers will be connected systematically.

What happens next?

First, the dashboard will be designed as an MVP, with the initial version presented in late April. It will then enter user testing, and their feedback will be incorporated. Additionally, we aim to introduce a paperless authentication for the pickup to avoid the need for obtaining a physical pick-up slip.

What is the goal?

We want a seamless process chain with as few intermediate steps as possible. Our aim is to increase transparency between the processes of the numerous parties involved.