Descartes Systems Group has unveiled an e-freight system that cuts the amount of paperwork needed to transport goods by air.

The Descartes e-Pouch system was created specifically to address the International Air Transport Association (IATA) e-freight initiative, and the needs of the air freight industry to automate and standardise the cargo shipment process.

The IATA e-freight initiative is an industry-wide programme that aims to reduce the use of paper documents in the air freight supply chain, by moving to a simpler, paper-free electronic environment. It involves, among other participants, airlines, shippers, freight forwarders, ground handling agents and customs authorities.

The Descartes e-freight system helps to group electronic shipment documents together in a unified package - the e-Pouch. Descartes' e-Pouch allows users to easily share information with the appropriate parties, automate routine interactions, flag problems - such as missing documents - at the earliest possible instance, and provide a repository for retrieval of completed deliveries.

Built upon Descartes' Global Logistics Network (GLN), e-Pouch integrates with Descartes' suite of air cargo management tools, including systems for bookings, shipment monitoring, quality performance reporting and customs filing.

Descartes e-Pouch is designed to handle air shipment documents in a fully automated fashion, including integration of electronic images. In areas where structured electronic documents are not available, e-Pouch uses the GLN imaging services functionality to capture original documents and insert them into the air shipment folder.

Cindy Yamamoto, senior vice president of global logistics product strategy at Descartes, said, "With Descartes e-Pouch, users can readily share information with the appropriate parties and comply with emerging industry standards such as IATA's e-freight initiative, to improve efficiency and reduce costs across the air cargo industry."