Trivandrum, India, 17 April 2006: Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), Japan’s only cargo-specialist airline, signed an agreement becoming the launch customer for iCargo – IBS’ next generation air cargo and logistics management system. The agreement was signed at a ceremony held in Tokyo on 10th April 2006. IBS’s iCargo is a total cargo logistics system that has the functionality to fully support the supply chain management from shipper to consignee in all aspects of cargo logistics.
Speaking on the occasion VK Mathews, Chairman and Managing Director, IBS said, "Having a partner with the stature of Nippon Cargo Airlines as the launch customer for iCargo is undoubtedly a validation of the viability of our new-generation cargo management system. This further reinforces our vision towards making iCargo the industry leader and standard for the future. It would be the catalyst for change for all cargo carriers within the logistics industry."
Takuro Uchiyama, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nippon Cargo Airlines, said "iCargo will give us major benefits for our cargo logistics management. We, at NCA are very excited to have a partnership with IBS and to be a launch customer for the iCargo system that has various functions to meet our cargo business requirement. I believe that customers’ SCM is much more sophisticated than before and NCA as a cargo airline should have a system that could provide various electronic information to them at any time."
IBS’s Vice President Cargo, Murray Kidd, said "NCA is one of the biggest all cargo carriers in the world and we are delighted in having them as our partner and launch customer for iCargo which will assist them achieve their vision to be the world’s leading all-cargo carrier".
Masaaki Kariya, General Manager IT Strategy division, Nippon Cargo Airlines, said "air cargo is a high-speed and ever changing, progressive market. We always think our cargo logistics system mainframe should be an open system and fully integrated with up-to-date IT technology. IBS’s iCargo is the one system able to meet all our requirements. We plan to start our new cargo system operation using iCargo from the fourth quarter of 2007. IBS already has SEI CMM level-5 certification. I believe that the experience of this partnership between IBS and NCA to develop this system gives us major benefits for NCA’s IT strategy in the future."