For the past year, MGI has had an internal team dedicated to replacing AP+: the ARROW (Air, Rail, Road, Ocean, Waterways) team. Fabrine Frestel, Project Director at MGI, heads up the team, and particularly relies on the innovation division, under the responsibility of Christophe Reynaud.
MGI and SOGET, joint owner of the AP+ solution, are also working together to create a national CCS, to make French ports and airports more competitive.
The client at the heart of MGI
The ARROW team organised a survey to identify the needs of users of AP+ and its various modules. An on-line questionnaire was first distributed to collect expectations and possibilities for enhancing functionalities in the new CCS. Additional feedback was obtained during trade-specific user workshops with forwarding agents, shipping agents, airlines, pre and post shipping transport providers, terminal operators, consolidators and container depots. These workshops provided an opportunity to discuss the strong points of the current solution, possible improvements, potential changes in each trade and industry innovations that would have an impact on operational processes. Future users have already demonstrated their enthusiasm for the future solution.
MGI also consulted with outside experts, and in particular, representatives of the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), the French Ministry of Transport and competitiveness clusters, to obtain a broad vision of new technologies and a long-term outlook for future transport systems.
The next generation CCS will meet the new requirements of the forthcoming EU customs law, and Directive 2010/65/EU on electronic reporting formalities for ships.
Supply the most advanced CCS on the market
The next generation CCS is based on four main principles:
– The Fast Lane concept: speed the flow of goods via automated processes that give priority to professionals who have planned their operations in advance
– Door-to-door traceability of goods: inter-port communication between the CCS and Port Community Systems nationally and internationally
– The latest innovations from R&D work, in particular the intelligent container
– Future trends and uses
MGI’s objective: offer the most advanced community communication system on the market. A Proof of Concept of the new CCS will be revealed in December, during MGI’s anniversary evening reception.