Cathay Cargo automates postal shipments with Cathay Mail

Cathay Cargo has enhanced its integrated mail platform with Cathay Mail, a refined digital solution that offers greater transparency for post offices.

"With Cathay Mail, Cathay Cargo is able to provide a superior customer experience that better caters to the requirements of post offices for shipment visibility, reliability and speed," says an official release.

Tom Owen, Director, Cargo, Cathay Cargo says: “Cathay Mail highlights how we have adapted technology and digitalisation to offer real benefits to our customers. By fully integrating mail-handling functions with our cargo operations and expertise, our innovative new mail solution provides a sophisticated suite of tools and facilities to support our postal partners.”

Cathay Cargo’s refreshed “mail as cargo” solution integrates mail-handling data with air cargo systems using the postal air waybill (PAWB). "This use of electronic data interchange (EDI) technology removes much of the previous shipment paperwork and gives both origin and destination post offices and designated operators more visibility of shipments down to mail bag (or “receptacle”) level, allowing them to offer package-level track-and-trace visibility to e-commerce shippers."

The information also enables Cathay Cargo to manage capacity against actual volumes of mail on flights so that it can make allowances for surges in ad-hoc demand or make unused space available for other cargo, the release added.

There is an additional benefit for mail heading to Europe - by making the information available in advance, mail shipments will be compliant with the European Union’s new Import Control System (ICS2) customs requirements, which are being introduced this year.

Also Read - ICS2 - challenges and way ahead

“This new investment in our mail-handling capability increases the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a global mail hub, giving post offices the confidence to move mail more seamlessly to, from and through Hong Kong,” added Owen.