The FIATA World Congress kicked off in Geneva today with its president, William Gottlieb, urging participants not to waste opportunities presented by the economic downturn.
He called on members of the global forwarding association to instead focus on ways to reposition their business to reduce risk and stimulate growth.
More than 600 delegates from 80 countries attended the annual event that comes at a time when the freight transport and logistics industry is facing a turbulent future.
On top of concerns over increasingly stringent security regulations, especially from US authorities, and unease over environmental measures, there is growing annoyance at the slow roll out of IATA's e-freight initiative.
Wally Nahr of the Hong Kong Air Freight Forwarders Association sits on the e-freight management group. Speaking at the regional meeting of Asia-Pacific forwarders, he said: "We are really not very happy with the development of this - it's far, far too slow."
The goal of IATA's e-freight is to have the cargo handling process free of all paper by 2010, saving the industry more than US$2 billion a year while enhancing data quality and security.
Delegates at the congress will gather for the Airfreight Institute meeting tomorrow where there is expected to be heated debate between FIATA members and attending IATA representatives over e-freight requirements and a perceived the lack of consultation with the forwarder body.
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Source: cargonewsasia
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