From Operational Strain to Smart Efficiency

How Sky Cargo Solutions Saves 30% of Their Time with SKYPALLET

Sky Cargo Solutions is a GSSA (General Sales & Service Agent) based in Austria, specializing in the DACH region. The company was founded in 2019 and skyrocketed through pandemic owing to up to 25+ years expertise of each employee across Aviation Logistics, Forwarding, as well as GSSA businesses.

We spoke with Roman Taborsky, who is heading Sales and Operations at Sky Cargo Solutions to understand a bit more about their organization and how SKYPALLET is helping them reach their objectives.

Since Sky Cargo Solutions is a small-scale company, with an average of 3-4 people working per country, their driving force is efficiency. They want to provide good service to their customers and invest most of their time in sales and customer service. Using SKYPALLET, they are able to save 2–2.5 hours per week, freeing up their time to cater to their customers' needs.

"So, if I see a booking list and get agut feeling like it will be 12 pallets, SKYPALLET can optimize it down to 8 pallets. You still see that thereis always open space you can sell or save, or you can make a better buildup for specific customers by creating units with fewer loads,or for fragile goods for example."

Tackling inefficiencies in manual ULD planning and stakeholder management

Sky Cargo Solutions’ ULD planning process was time-consuming and required a lot of consideration as it involved drawing by hand. It sometimes took hours to plan a complete flight for the next day, and wasn't sustainable with their time and resource constraints.

Using SKYPALLET they are able to save lot of time by doing ULD planning in an instant as they didn’t need to draw anymore and it was done automatically. SKYPALLET's biggest advantage for them was not just giving away the responsibility to a system that takes care of everything. The biggest advantage was having a quick check of their gut feeling.

Roman also faced difficulties in operations, particularly in managing stakeholders like Ground Handling Agents (GHAs) and ramp agents. He needed to demonstrate that his approach could reduce errors and improve efficiency.

“The flexibility of SKYPALLET proved crucial in adapting to unexpected changes. For instance, when a GHA suddenly switches to new wood for elevations without notifying anyone, we can quickly adjust the calculations to accommodate the change. Without SKYPALLET, such a situation would lead to numerous inquiries and potential problems.”

Using SKYPALLET, Roman was able to decrease the failure rate from 15-25% to just 1-10%. The tool provided detailed instructions that even less experienced staff could follow, ensuring consistent quality in pallet building. However, convincing long-time industry professionals to adopt new methods wasn't easy.

Through patience and persistence, Roman gradually brought stakeholders around to see the efficiency gains in their own work. He stressed that the goal wasn't to impose extra rules or to monitor them, but to find ways to help everyone in the supply chain work more effectively together.

Efficient ULD building saves time and creates new sales opportunities

SKYPALLET's biggest efficiency driver for Roman was for sales, to save time and create new opportunities. SKYPALLET had become his entry point for sales, to demonstrate inefficiencies and suggest optimizations to customers. He could provide instant calculations and make informed decisions on the spot. Clients were impressed by the speed and accuracy of his projections.

His team quickly adopted it to increase revenue for airlines by providing customers with instructions to build units effectively.

“It's not just about putting pallets on a ULD and securing them with a net—there's stable data and specific processes behind this magic.”

Even forwarders with operational staff unfamiliar with building ULDs, but signing long-term BSA contracts with customers, have the opportunity to understand the airline's requirements.

Additionally, Roman has more resources for his sales and operations teams to perform double-checks. They can verify with SKYPALLET if something is advantageous, and can also adjust the rules. This allows them to check if handling agents are complying with SLAs, which is valuable for customer service to airlines. They can verify if they're meeting their contractual obligations, offer new ideas, and provide training opportunities.

Beyond optimization, Roman also sees personal growth, as his team has become accustomed to the system. Each employee gains a better understanding of aircraft types and quickly adapts, making the whole process very straightforward.

“We've even turned it into a game of sorts. Previously, someone would rely on gut feeling, but now they can make calculations with SKYPALLET and check efficiency.”

Significant improvement in cost saving and capacity optimization

Sky Cargo Solutions has experienced substantial financial benefits and operational improvements since implementing SKYPALLET. Roman reports that their current setup allows them to save up to 1,500 € per week, primarily through optimizing narrow-body flights - an area often overlooked by airlines.

This optimization benefits both airline customers and forwarders by maximizing flight capacity utilization. In addition to the financial savings, Roman notes that they save approximately 1-2 ULDs per week just by using SKYPALLET.

“We saw that if we optimize the narrow-body flights better, there's a real opportunity. The system is very good because for wide-body flights, the rules are a bit more flexible, so there's more room for optimization."

For continuous business with regular weekly shipments, SKYPALLET allows Sky Cargo Solutions to analyze and combine shipments more effectively. They can provide tailored advice to customers on how to optimize their packaging for better results. This approach creates a win-win situation where customers save money, airlines save money, and the entire supply chain benefits from this improved efficiency.

Easy setup and reliable product support

Roman expressed that the onboarding process felt genuine and receptive from the beginning. Within a day of requesting a demo, he was contacted by the SKYPALLET team to set up an initial call where his questions were immediately answered. That's when he knew he had found the right solution.

Roman also shared a personal experience when he met the CEO of Wiremind Cargo, Nathanael de Tarade in Hong Kong at the World Cargo Conference. He addressed two issues, almost casually, but they were taken very seriously as they were customer suggestions. Roman saw these implemented in the system, and the team was already working on even further developments. He is now looking forward to SKYPALLET 2.0, which he believes would enhance their customer service even more.

“We saw a very good opportunity to save time with SKYPALLET, and for us it was a perfect fit.”

Key Features of SKYPALLET for Sky Cargo Solutions

• Loose Rates and Build-Up Units (BUPs): Roman highlights the flexibility of playing with loose rates and BUPs. This feature enables the efficient handling of shipments that require specific configurations. This optimizes the overall shipment process and enhances operational efficiency.
• Co-Loadability: This feature allows Roman to drive efficiency by prioritizing shipments for different destinations. By organizing pallets to specific hubs within a short transit time (e.g., six hours), it improves customer service through quicker ramp transfers and efficient breakdowns. This results in better service at the final destination and builds customer credibility and trust.
• Adjustable Settings for Aircraft and Packaging: Roman values the ability to change settings for aircraft and packaging types. This flexibility aids in better claim handling by providing detailed descriptions and accurate data to customers. It also prevents issues related to incorrect packaging dimensions or types, ensuring optimal utilization of space.
• Data Import and Export: The ability to import XLS and FBL files is a crucial feature for Roman, simplifying the management of up to 150 shipments on a single flight. Exporting booking lists and builder plans for Ground Handling Agents (GHAs) further streamlines operations.