Traxon Asia plans to provide its connected cargo community systems (CCS) services via the Internet this year - once security on the information highway has improved. Freight forwarders and airlines are currently connected to CCS, which is an open and unbiased system, through lease lines to ensure security. 'CCS subscribers can exchange information with each other regardless of any differences in their hardware, software or communications technology,' Paul Tam, Traxon Asia's managing director and general manager for Hong Kong, said, adding that Traxon was using the Intranet to service customers. Twenty carriers, including Traxon's five shareholder airlines - Air France, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo - are connected to CCS.
The airlines connected to Traxon accounted for more than 65 per cent of the worldwide air freight capacity, Mr Tam said. As at January last year, Traxon had 2,175 subscribers on the forwarders' side and more than 5,900 connected branch offices throughout the world. In Hong Kong alone, it had about 200 subscribers. Subscribers can communicate with airlines and forwarders in Asia, Europe and North America as Traxon also co-operates with 19 CCS in countries in these areas. Traxon communicates with Trade-Van in Taiwan, CNN in Singapore, Cargo-Net in Australia, Eximnet in Thailand, Macnet in Malaysia and Kargo Bayan in the Philippines. Mr Tam said Traxon subscribers could directly access the airlines connected to the system and electronically obtain flight information, make reservations, track and trace cargo and transmit airway bill data to the airlines.
Each subscriber uses one single link to Traxon to communicate with any other subscriber in other parts of the world. Traxon provides the hardware and the communications line for subscribers to connect with CCS. 'Each month, the company handles just over one million transactions in Hong Kong and 70-80 per cent of that figure involves local transactions,' Mr Tam said. Traxon plans Internet switch
