Hong Kong’s Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT) has announced it has pioneered Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) ULD Tags for the pre-packed cargo in Hong Kong from 25 July 2016, with the benefit of greater speed and accuracy.

AAT said the cargo acceptance process is streamlined through the use of the RFID tags to achieve higher operational efficiency and time-saving benefits. Previously, AAT’s cargo acceptance of prepacked shipments required two levels of manual data entry at the truck dock and identification point (i-point) respectively, entering weight and contour for the shipment into its Cargo Management System (CMS) and Supervisory Control System.

With the RFID technology on the ULD tag, data entry process will only take once at the truck dock area. Once the tag has been tied on the prepacked shipment, data will be automatically captured when the shipment passes through the i-point. Overall, this new technology speeds up the cargo acceptance process by 45 seconds per shipment.

By utilising the RFID technology on the ULD tag, data accuracy for the cargo acceptance process is ensured by eliminating human error at this stage. The general practice of handling ULD tag is by hand-writing, where cargo acceptance operator writes the shipment information on the ULD tag, including flight number, weight, contour and destination, at the truck dock area. With this new technology, the computerised data entry process ensures the data accuracy throughout the whole cargo acceptance process.

“We are very pleased to have another innovative product brought to our valuable customers in this year,” said Kuah Boon Kiam, general manager of AAT. “This RFID technology could definitely bring a new milestone for the air cargo industry in Hong Kong. Along with our highly reliable cargo operation team, AAT will continue to service our customers with increased efficiency.”