BPM Improves Cargo Management at Mumbai International Airport

That quantum of business might have overwhelmed its 10-year-old cargo management system. A largely manual system - with some billing even done on Excel sheets (which opened the potential for revenue leakage) - it was also getting expensive to maintain and had not managed to keep up with changing business needs.  All in all, it needed replacement. "This led us to develop a new cargo management system which would allow us to automate business processes and give our clients a Web interface," says T.P. Anantheswaran, head-IT, MIAL.

The solution was simple: an application that would kill manual processes, improve efficiency, increase turnaround time, allow performance measurement, and have the provision to roll out RFID in the future.

The two-phase project cost MIAL Rs 3 crore and the first phase for cargo being exported went live in January 2009. The systems to handle cargo being imported started in May 2009.

But it wasn't easy. Anantheswaran says change management for both internal and external users was the biggest issue.  "We identified key users and ensured that they drove the project rather than IT," he says. It also helped that their implementation partners supported them, adds Anantheswaran, in making quick changes to the system when bugs were identified. "It quickly increased the user confidence in the system."

The solution has paved the way for further improvement in cargo movement, and prevented revenue leakage. And because it has a Web interface which allows customers to track their cargo, the number of calls and visits to cargo center has diminished. "It is also compliant with cargo 2000 standards and EDIU standards of Indian customs. Importantly, it lets us interface with SITATEX - an airline data interchange which gives us access to flight schedules allowing for advanced cargo planning," says Anantheswaran.

The Person Behind It

T.P Anantheswaran

Head-IT Mumbai International Airport

“We identified key users and ensured that they drove the project rather than the IT team. That quickly increased user confidence in the system."