Opportunities for digitalization of aviation fuel

Aviation fuel is one of the most important milestones in the air transport sector, as it accounts for approximately about 40% of total airline costs.

The cost of aviation fuel is mainly borne by airlines through the provision of services and undoubtedly falls on airline ticket prices. 

But how does this administrative process between suppliers, airports, and airlines work?

The sale of aviation fuel is one of the few sectors that have not yet a technological transformation process. At present, manual work is predominant, and it works in this way:

All flights register their flight plans and the planning is announced through the FIDS systems. 

Each airline per airport has a fuel supplier (in case the airport has more than one supplier). In this way, when the plane reaches the ground, an operator approaches the aircraft, where not only the fuel requirement is checked, but also any other maintenance required by the aircraft, to give way for the operator to fill out a form and authorize the loading of fuel. 

Finally, this operator must take this information to the administrative offices so that the necessary documentation for billing is processed and issued, and thus the process is repeated over and over again with each aircraft operating at the airport.

With all the technology currently available, there is a significant modernization opportunity for this sector. We can even refer to the development of technology such as Fuel AIMS, specifically designed to facilitate fuel sales processes, and help reduce administrative procedures, reducing human transcription errors and allowing faster processing of receipts and invoicing in real-time.

This type of software permits merchants to offer their fueling services, and keep fuel prices updated according to type and category. So, each airline is free to choose the one that best suits its needs.

The penetration of this type of technology in the air transport sector is very close to happening, as the immediacy, efficiency, and support they provide is undoubtedly the next step.

If you want to know more about GP Nauticals and the products it offers you can visit our dedicated AIMS SUITE section and contact us.

 

The digital transformation of the aviation industry

After two years of pandemic and despite the economic impact it had in the aeronautical sector. It has become clear the interest of those involved in creating great opportunities to increase investment in technologies that encourage the digital transformation of this important industry.

 The main areas that will be favored by digitalization are the following:

Zero-touch technologies

Many airlines and airports have implemented this type of technology, not only to avoid contagions. But because they facilitate the transit of passengers in airports.

It’s used for the web check-in, self-check-in, unassisted baggage delivery, passenger checkpoints with facial recognition, or simple boarding pass scanners.

All are in the cloud and with data analysis facilities that provide a great tool for decision making and data sharing.

Cybersecurity

Today we see a lot of software and mobile applications that have increased exponentially and are used for the verification of data related to flights, passengers, or simply airport administration. So there is a very high level of vulnerability.

For this reason, cybersecurity has become one of the main investment points.

Payment platforms

In the same vein of adapting to consumer habits and new business models, airlines, airports, and concessionaires have made significant investments to digitize their service offerings.

Which mainly includes payment platforms that facilitate the cancellation of financial obligations throughout the chain within the sector.

Digital transformation is not a new issue for the industry; in fact, it is the second sector, after Oil & Gas, that has made more efforts to stay at the forefront of technology, which drives to improve some operational activities of the business. However, there is a long way to go when it comes to evaluating the maturity of digitalization.

Currently, many startups are continuously working to present solutions that help leverage digitalization.  With various products that will help to revolutionize the industry. Such as the AIMS Suite from GP Nauticals, which offers a range of possibilities about airport administrative systems.

 

Advantages of having a good Port Community System

Most port communities are made up of multiple stakeholders, both public and private, which makes it difficult for IT to penetrate, as each institution approaches its logistics differently and resistance to change makes it an industry very fragmented.

For this reason, today we will talk about the advantages of having a good Port Community System.

  1. A good Port Community System (PSC) allows the simplification, standardization, and acceleration of the exchange of information between all the participants in the logistics chain (PCL). This results in greater efficiency in the processes and interaction between PCLs since it facilitates how all port processes are authorized, controlled, supervised, and verified.
  2. Greater processing speed for a large volume of information. We already know that every port terminal handles large amounts of data, whether it is a cargo or passenger port. Data processing and a good Port Community System are important since they facilitate real-time analysis of information. Which allows optimization of decision-making, as well as saving time and money, which favor logistics and transport chains.
  3. PCS must offer an open and neutral electronic platform that allows a secure exchange of information between the parties involved. In addition, to facilitate the automation of logistics processes. Minimize the human error of transcribing information over and over again and reduce the use of paper by having everything digitized on a single platform.
  4. Another advantage of a Port Community System is cooperation for innovation. Carrying out innovations individually does not guarantee their success. The idea is to create a joint strategy as a large virtual company and bet on innovations that influence each member of the logistics chain; In this way, the economic impact of innovation is reduced and more processes are covered.
  5. One of the most important advantages that the implementation of a good Port Community System represents is that it can be integrated with the systems that are currently used, which helps to work on resistance to change by not having to jump from one system old-fashioned to an innovative one from one day to the next.

PCS can help to address the major deficiencies that the port sector is currently showing, such as the AIMS Suite software belonging to the GP Nauticals company, which offers various platforms for the automation of air, maritime, port, and land that benefit a large number of agents in their processes without the need to make million-dollar investments.

If you want to know more details about this specialized software, you can enter the products section of our website (https://gpnauticals.com/products/), where you will find more information and contact a specialist who can answer any questions that may arise.

 

Challenges of maritime transport in 2022

For this year, the maritime sector is expected to face great challenges and, there are currently many determining issues on the table.

In the first place, the most talked-about issue refers to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Since the maritime industry is constantly researching and developing new fuels based on methanol, hydrogen, or ammonia and that can help the sector to meet its goal to reach zero emissions by 2050.

But, a very urgent issue is the digital transformation of the maritime sector and that must cover all areas: ships, shipping companies, terminals, ports, interfaces, and everything that can interfere with the transport chain.

On this particular point, we can assess some of the challenges the industry is currently facing and how it could minimize the crisis.

Today and as a result of 2 years of the pandemic, the supply chain is at risk and has revealed a very explicit motto “No shipping, no shopping” referring to the fact that if there are no ships transporting cargo, there is no trade and as consequently there will be no consumption.

 All this is a way to draw attention to the precarious life in the sea that is not consistent with the technological alternatives already used worldwide.

Interconnection, transparency in management, and new communications technologies can mark a before and after in the industry since the implementation of new cutting-edge tools facilitates the correct planning and execution in each step of the process and also offers advantages in terms of the economic recovery of the maritime sector.

To achieve these advances, software such as the AIMS Suite belonging to the GP Nauticals company can be implemented, which through different technologies can help not only in the automation of processes with its NAUTIC AIMS product, which allows all maritime services subject to taxable calculations. In addition to helping to manage contracts, concessions, commissions, providing the opportunity to involve billing, generation of reports and analysis of results, categorized as needed and always in real-time.

This type of software can be used by itself integrating with existing platforms or in conjunction with other AIMS Suite products that offer a more complete experience such as PAY AIMS which offers the opportunity to carry out a portfolio collection with a billing platform and gateway. reliable payment system with record history and 24/7 support.

The revolution in the maritime sector is just around the corner, all the factors involved cry out for more efficient processes, taking into account that trade is a key factor in all the economies of the world, we have committed ourselves to not being an industry that lags behind the rest.

If you want to know more about our products, click on:

Port modernization opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean

The ports of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) represent a great opportunity for modernization. Since so far very few countries in the region have taken advantage of the new technological tools that allow a digital transformation to achieve more efficient ports and thus actively compete in world trade.

The implementation of advanced port systems, and interconnection offer enormous advantages that would allow them to reduce manual tasks to a minimum and thus the margin of error without the need to make million-dollar investments. In administrative and financial matters, we at GP NAUTICALS make available, mainly our NAUTIC AIMS AND PAY AIMS products, which in turn can be expanded in functionality in conjunction with any other system of our AIMS SUITE.

How does a port currently work, and what benefits would digitization bring?

The first thing we should know is that a series of private and public agents interact in a port, providing services related to port traffic. These operators create a port community and represent in itself a particular unit or company with common interests such as “maritime, land or air transport” depending on the location of the port.

Imagine that each unit or company must make separate notifications to each of the other units that make up this community, it is a cumbersome task. Or simply that they need to carry out management reports or analyzes and must collect data from each of the participating companies, it seems like an impossible mission. But so far this is the reality.

The low investment in the sector and the lack of R&I=D aimed at creating solutions focused on the industry have turned the port system into an enormous opportunity for those technology companies willing to take the first step because if we are sure of one thing, it is that the last two years have taught us that digitization, automation, and interconnection take on a different meaning in the face of a global pandemic.

One of the main ways to achieve efficiency in ports, without the need to incur a millionaire investment, is by adopting a Port Community System or as it is known by its acronym in English PCS. These platforms would allow all those involved to carry out an exchange of secure information, manage and automate logistics processes and thus optimize time and save money in the long run.

Nautic AIMS with PAY AIMS, is a participant in this initiative because it creates a space where all the operators involved in a port can generate a report on their services and/or activities in a transparent manner and in a very short time. Be evaluated, reviewed, and approved between the parts to give way to the billing and collection process, thus achieving the optimization of financial processes and the economic flow that each operator wishes for the optimal functioning of its operations and the highest profitability of its businesses.

PCS in Latin America and the Caribbean

Only a few countries in the region, such as Chile, Jamaica, Panama, and Brazil, are moving towards digital transformation with the implementation of port systems that allow interoperability, migration to the cloud, process automation, and many other services. At the moment it is known that the IDB is supporting through loans for the design and implementation of Port Community Systems solutions for Latin America and the Caribbean, especially for countries such as Argentina, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, for which increasingly open up the possibilities of investment in the sector.

If you want to know how to manage and centralize your port and maritime services more efficiently, we recommend you visit https://gpnauticals.com/products/nautic-aims/ and its component for managing payments and issuing invoices and innovating in the sector knows https://gpnauticals.com/products/pay-aims/, products belonging to GP Nauticals that seek to convert the port industry into a collaborative, efficient and transparent community. If you want to have more details you can enter the web www.gpnauticals.com and fill out the form so that you can be contacted by a specialist.

 

Spain seeks to become a leader in maritime transport in Europe

Spain seeks to implement a wide variety of technological tools to boost competitiveness in the Spanish port system, and thus become the leader in maritime transport within Europe.

In the report published by the Ports Commission of the Chamber of Spain, entitled “Measures to promote the competitiveness of the Spanish port system”, all the measures to be implemented are detailed and are grouped into 5 categories such as: governance, management of border control ports, intermodality, digitization, and training, which will be renewed thanks to technological advances.

Among the technologies that they will implement at the port, digitization level is 5G sensorization, automation, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and distributed ledger technology such as Blockchain.

The purpose of these measures is to take advantage of an industry that is underdeveloped in terms of innovation and digitization and thus transform Spanish ports into a 4.0 model, which are intelligent, interoperable, and transparent.

There are currently 3 Spanish ports (Valencia, Algeciras, and Barcelona) that are in the top 30 of the world ranking of ports thanks to the influx of merchandise, so this type of measure seeks to promote logistics and port development, which will help Spain to become a leader in the maritime sector in Europe.

 

Digital acceleration in the port sector

The shipping sector has been characterized by being very traditional and not very adventurous when it comes to implementing new solutions that imply drastic changes in its behavior. However, the port industry has grown in the last 3 months than in the last 3 years, and all due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, it has been possible to evidence a striking trend for the implementation of digital tools and platforms aimed at the digital transformation of ports and shipping companies. This without leaving aside those aimed at cybersecurity that today has become a primary concern for any sector.

The technological implementation in the port sector is considered the second major transformation of the industry after the creation of containers, taking as one of the main contributions the digitization and automation of processes. The implementation of software that performs merchandise traceability and the interconnection of ports are just some of the improvements that the sector has received, and can only provide greater visibility and confidence in the port industry.

However, the change in the sector is not only limited to technological tools. There is also hard work together to encourage ecological work practices such as the development of green hydrogen for the decarbonization of maritime transport that can offer greater sustainability to the industry.

These are great advances for an industry that has always been considered extremely conservative. However, the need to face a situation like the pandemic has provided numerous opportunities for startups and venture capital companies to enter an industry that generates billions of dollars a year.

 

The first Japanese shipping company to join the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative

NYK became the first Japanese shipping company to join the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative (SRTI). A platform that consists of leading shipping companies, carriers, and financial stakeholders, including investors, lenders, and suppliers of insurance.

The purpose of the instance is to promote transparency in ship recycling and provide information to interested parties, such as cargo owners, banks, investment institutions, and insurance companies, by sharing information on the SRTI website on policies, ship recycling practices, and advances of participating shipowners.

NYK highlighted that ships contain a large amount of high-quality iron and proper disposal of valuable recyclable resources is important for realizing a circular economy.

Furthermore, minimizing industrial accidents and environmental pollution when ships are dismantled have been issues that have received international attention.

NYK, from now on, will further promote the transparency of the ship recycling process through the company’s participation in the SRTI so that stakeholders can be assured that company-owned ships are recycled safely and properly.

At the same time, NYK assured that it will promote responsible ship recycling within the global shipping industry, which considers safety, the environment, and human rights to be of the utmost importance and aims to build a healthier supply chain.

Promoting transparency in ship recycling through participation in the SRTI reflects the company’s initiative to achieve NYK’s environmental management goal of reducing CO2 emissions per tonne-kilometer of transportation by 50% by 2050.

Source: Portal portuario

 

How will the Blockchain influence the aeronautical industry?

Although the financial sector was the first to benefit from new technologies such as blockchain, today it is the aeronautical industry that takes the most advantage of it, but the question is, how?

Currently, most of the crucial information needed to keep aircraft operational is processed manually and when it comes to aircraft that carry hundreds, thousands, and even millions of parts, it becomes a nightmare to track each maintenance of each aircraft. Many times it brings with it human errors that can trigger air accidents and human and material losses.

What technologies such as blockchain can bring to the aeronautical sector is facilitate the traceability of each spare part. From its manufacture, through its configuration, maintenance, or replacement.

Blockchain technology can generate a birth certificate for each part of an aircraft and thus provide access and update of its current condition each time the aircraft is inspected. This will allow everyone involved to be aware of the real state of the airplane.

It is estimated that the use of blockchain could increase the industry’s revenue by up to 4% which translates to about 40,000 million dollars, while it could cut maintenance costs by 5%.

The aerospace industry will be in constant search to integrate new technologies that strengthen its capabilities, impacting on the improvement of services and their operation, so in the coming years, we will be able to see the full integration of this technology as well as the influence of artificial intelligence or 3D printing.

 

Alarms go off with mega-ships

After the Ever Given got stuck in the Suez Canal, maritime authorities raised their alarms, thanks to the new mega-ships being built today.

With the growing surge of international trade, the manufacture of vessels increases more and more and with it its size. This entails a great responsibility because the ports are not prepared for the reception of the new mega-ships.

“Ports and canals have not always been developed enough to accommodate extra-large vessels and in some cases, they have become relatively narrow and markedly reduced maneuvering space and margin for error,” explains Rahul Khanna.

Thanks to this, concern increases because the production of these mega-ships is only intended to cover the needs of one sector, without measuring the risks that may arise with maritime transport.

In this sense, China and South Korea are the ones currently in the battle for the production of ships: “In 2020, 43% and 41% of the world market of orders for the sector were respectively distributed.”

What are the consequences of mega-ships?

The biggest concern is undoubtedly the issue of collisions, accidents such as fires, or the danger posed by the size of the ships in ports. Also, the handling of a large ship in extreme weather situations.

 This leads to the movement of infrastructure that must be done in the ports, to optimize the departure and grounding of mega-ships.

You can read the full note in Portfolio.