How UPLIFT initiative is encouraging paperless trade in the Indian Logistics Ecosystem?

With ensuring carbon neutrality and achieving 100 per cent paperless trade as the main objective, the Logistics industry is looking at digitisation as the way ahead.

The air cargo industry has witnessed the creation of many Airline-forwarder-handler coalitions worldwide. These initiatives are predominantly led by Airlines, and they have attempted to streamline cargo movement by introducing standalone digital e-services that essentially shipment booking and tracking tools. Some of these have been somewhat successful. However, these have not managed to unify the entire communities within the region they represent, nor have they seen much adoption beyond these demarcated boundaries.

UPLIFT is a unique initiative by Kale Logistics Solutions and ACAAI that aims at ensuring 100 per cent digitisation in the Indian Logistics industry. With the introduction of this initiative, nearly 15,000 stakeholders in India have benefited across different Airports and Ports. In the future, the number of beneficiaries is gradually increasing so that in a few years, almost the entire Logistics ecosystem in the country will be prone to leveraging UPLIFT.

Enabling Paperless Trade

UPLIFT initiative has demonstrated its capability to improve efficiency and reduce costs for the entire air freight industry. UPLIFT can offer these benefits to the Indian Cargo fraternity and their global counterparts. In particular, UPLIFT has the support of the local Customs authority in approving the processing of neutral Air waybill, which is the first of its kind to be introduced in India.

The industry recognises that air carriers and freight forwarders globally will play a bigger role in determining how - or whether - e-freight is implemented. In this context, UPLIFT has been created with the involvement of various industry participants, including Forwarders, Airlines, Customs, Custom House Agents, and Airport Ground Handlers, amongst others.

Now more and more international carriers are moving onto the UPLIFT platform to receive data electronically with Forwarders in India. Carriers have also increased their coverage for all shipments and to all destinations.