Logistics IT company Descartes has bought Global Freight Exchange (GF-X), the electronic freight booking company for the air cargo industry. The arrangement will enable customers to electronically manage the entire air shipment lifecycle, including bookings; air waybills; house waybills; status messages and custom filings.
Robert Frei, head corporate air freight and head corporate development for Panalpina, said: “The Descartes/GF-X combination means that freight forwarders can have a single solution to manage the shipment process – from the first interaction with the air carrier as part of the booking, through to the auditing of the invoice. Forwarders can choose from a wide range of services, including logistics messaging and customs filing, to reduce the number of interfaces required with third-parties.”