Lufthansa Cargo Increases Handling Performance in Frankfurt

Lufthansa Cargo has completed its project to transition to a new production planning and control system (PPS). Based on Dassault Systèmes’ DELMIA Quintiq software and the industry expertise of Ab Ovo, the cargo airline has implemented a production planning application as part of the PPS system.

(Frankfurt/Main) By improving planning quality and transparency with intelligent algorithms and KPI-based planning, Lufthansa Cargo can handle more cargo in its facilities and improve punctuality. This increases both efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The new production planning system supports planners in managing the breakdown of incoming cargo and the assembly of outgoing cargo for further transport by truck or air. It also helps Lufthansa Cargo better distribute the workload between peak and off-peak times, which increases the average productivity of employees and the utilization of work resources. The performance of the hub is crucial for Lufthansa Cargo’s global supply chain, as around 80 percent of all transit cargo flows through Frankfurt.

“An integrated production planning and control system is part of our digitalization roadmap,” says Harald Gloy, Chief Operations Officer and Director of Human Resources at Lufthansa Cargo. “The new planning application enables us to make smarter and faster decisions to ensure on-time performance. It gives us more flexibility to better prepare for a rapidly changing environment, thus helping us to further improve Lufthansa Cargo’s service for our customers.”

Production Planning Across the Entire Supply Chain

Edwin Hageman, CEO of the Ab Ovo Group, emphasizes: “We are proud to be part of Lufthansa Cargo’s digitalization journey and to be able to offer and implement a production planning and control system that enhances efficiency and productivity. This helps to increase customer satisfaction while contributing to Lufthansa Cargo’s strategic goals.”

Although the new production planning and control system was initially implemented at the Frankfurt hub of the cargo airline, Lufthansa Cargo aims to further digitalize supply chain processes to increase flexibility and optimize global shipment flow management. “Further growth is expected for global cargo demand,” says Harald Gloy. “We want to be prepared for this and ensure that we have excellent production planning across the entire supply chain that allows us to continuously improve our logistical capabilities.”

Photo: © Lufthansa Cargo / Caption: from left to right: Walter Isselhard, Harold Lukas, Dr. Jan Wilhelm Breithaupt, Tim Heppenheimer, Bonne van der Meer, Edwin Hageman, Harald Gloy, Dr. Jochen Göttelmann, Gerd Jens Schmidt, Dr. Mohammad Ali Seiraffi