How does it work?
IPC’s Integrated Forecasting, Allocation and Booking Solution (IFABS) is one of the solutions developed by IPC together with postal operators and airlines to optimise business processes related to air mail. Solutions also include the IPC Consignment Monitoring tools (see service “Airmail Consignment Performance Analysis Tool”) which provides visibility over the performance of mail carriage by air.
The full IPC solution consists of four separate modules, each of which covers an autonomous cluster of functionalities. Depending on the specific needs of each post or airline, these modules can be used as separate solutions, while all of them combined can provide an end-to-end integrated solution.
Benefits
- It is an end-to-end solution designed to assist posts and airlines in airmail transport planning.
- The solution provides support to posts in forecasting through historical data their capacity needs.
- It will support both posts’ and carriers’ processes with route management, allotment template building and booking into the allotment.
About IPC IFABS modules
The four modules incorporated in IPC IFABS are:
Capacity Forecast Service (CFS)
To address capacity planning issues, IPC has built a tool that takes into account historical volume data and trends, and applies an advanced algorithm supporting long- and short-term forecasting. It includes volume and weight forecasts. Better forecasts lead to more reliability and less risk for mail to be left behind at origin or a transit airport.
Route Management Service (RMS)
This solution presents posts with route and flight information, provided by air carriers. Data quality and consistency are ensured by a quality assurance mechanism that proactively notifies users of any change in schedules. Airlines can constantly monitor the use that posts make of their routes. There is less room for error in scheduling and planning, and information about any change which allow for timely reaction by the planner without undermining the quality.
Allotment and Allocation Service (AAS)
The AAS enables posts to make an allocation request for consignments, while facilitating the tender process for airlines. The agreed allotment template is produced in a well-defined format and shared with both parties. Agreeing on an allotment upfront allows for better capacity planning by the carrier. Since the beginning of the season there has been a mutual agreement on the volumes that are going to be carried, and the airline take this into account when balancing their transport plans with other products.
Booking into the Allotment Service (BAS)
The booking service allows for cargo-like booking of mail volumes into the agreed allotment. This is the final step allowing for full alignment between postal and cargo processes.
IPC’s IFABS has been designed to be integrated with operators’ own system, for both airlines and posts, to ensure data can be retrieved and pushed easily through existing systems. By using booking procedures, mails are fully processed in the cargo systems and capacity is therefore guaranteed.
Additional uses of the developed solutions
While continuously improving the exiting functionality, IPC has used the input from the users to identify potential new functionalities to be included in the module CFS, as the possibility to run forecasts on incoming volumes (“Inbound forecasting”). This new feature will now allow users to better plan the production resources in a context of growing volumes linked to e-commerce.
More information
For more information about IFABS, contact [email protected].