Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a member of the SATS Group, has implemented a new Dock Management System in North America, resulting in a significant reduction in truck waiting times at its New York JFK operations.

The system, part of WFS’ in-house developed ePic Enterprise Solution, has already achieved a reduction of over 20 per cent in waiting times.

The ePic Enterprise Solution, which is operational at 52 WFS airport stations across the US, serves as a comprehensive e-business platform designed to enhance collaboration and streamline communication among various stakeholders in the cargo community.

It facilitates seamless interaction between shippers, freight forwarders, truckers, airlines, ground handling agents, consignees, and regulatory bodies.

Over the next year, WFS plans to roll out the Dock Management System across its major airport locations in North America, starting with Atlanta, Miami, and Boston.

This implementation will enable trucking companies, consignees, and forwarders to create their own slot bookings for cargo drop-off or recovery at WFS stations, resulting in optimised truck yards and reduced congestion.

The Dock Management System is just one of several new features accessible through the ePic platform. Other enhancements include Warehouse Progress Monitoring, which provides real-time key performance indicators (KPIs) by utilising live flight data from Flightaware to track cargo arrival and departure information, as well as the breakdown and build-up of cargo to meet customers’ Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Furthermore, the Integrated Scale feature connects iPads in WFS’ warehouse operations to weigh scales in its facilities, automatically entering shipment weights into the system and eliminating potential errors associated with manual processes. This improvement has already been implemented in 60 per cent of the scales in WFS’ US cargo stations.

In collaboration with airline partners, WFS is also introducing ICS2 integration and functionality to comply with the incoming EU Customs regulations. The system includes intuitive inhibitors to prevent the erroneous loading of ‘Held’ shipments, enhanced reporting for ease of status verification and inventory, and colour-coded markings within agents’ working screens to clearly indicate shipment status.

Additionally, the ePic platform incorporates Barcode integration, which supports the installation of the RAFT Fully Automated Pallet Storage System, initially implemented at New York JFK. This feature enables quick and accurate reading and inventorying of cargo, facilitating efficient movement through the warehouse. Future functionality will include tracking export cargo acceptance and movement.

With ePic, WFS has successfully automated or eliminated 38 steps in the import/export cargo handling process.

The platform allows for the management of multiple airline customers and facilities through a centralised solution, simplifying operational processes, reducing training requirements, and maximising efficiencies.

It encompasses import and export cargo and flight management, office and warehouse functions for real-time communication of cargo movements, integrated eScreening for compliance with Federal Cargo Screening requirements, and CargoiQ integration to connect cargo and data through live updates of air waybill (AWB) status via standard IATA messaging.

In addition, ePic includes a customer service portal, as well as cash collection and billing capabilities.

Shawnpaul Booth, vice president cargo, NOAM, at WFS, said: “Operational excellence is at the heart of WFS’ customer commitment, and ePic drives this for our North American business handling more than 2.48 billon kilos and over 6,600 flights per annum.

“It is giving a level of transparency and visibility our customers value, and it gives WFS a big advantage in the handling market. We will absolutely continue to look to automate or eliminate more cargo processes because we have fast, first-hand insight into what works and what doesn’t.”