DAKOSY has been on the market for 40 years

Hamburg’s first start-up for digitalization celebrates its 40th anniversary. Supported by the port industry, DAKOSY was founded in 1982 with the aim of staying ahead in competition with other seaports as a “fast port.” Today, DAKOSY is an established and neutrally recognized digitalizer for logistics, with numerous IT platforms extending far beyond the city limits of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg.

(Hamburg) The high acceptance in the industry is evident from the significant user numbers. In the Port of Hamburg, more than 2,500 companies from the port industry, logistics, industry, and trade, as well as various authorities, are now connected to DAKOSY’s Port Community System. At Frankfurt Airport, the Cargo Community Platform FAIR@link, which has been in operation since 2015, counts over 700 participants. Another important pillar consists of smart solutions in the areas of customs and forwarding, with which over 2,000 freight forwarders, industrial and trading companies in Europe work.

“All applications are based on the principle established in 1982, which states that data within the transport chain should only be collected once and made available at the earliest possible time,” explains CEO Dieter Spark. This enables participants, for example, to optimize their capacity planning at handling locations and for pre- and post-hauls, as well as to automate processes related to customs and authority registrations.

DAKOSY received a boost in establishing the Port Community System in the Port of Hamburg in 1997 with the introduction of the IT platform ZAPP (Customs Export Monitoring in the Paperless Port), which was implemented in collaboration with the port industry and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. “Since a 100% electronic provision of all export data was agreed upon with the main customs office, all loading freight forwarders and exporters had to connect within a very short time,” mentions DAKOSY CEO Dieter Spark as one of the challenges. Within a few months, the platform was established, and soon hardly anyone could remember how the port functioned without ZAPP.

Blueprint for Frankfurt Airport

A milestone for DAKOSY was its entry into air freight logistics. Following the model of the Port Community System in Hamburg, the software company began building a digital Cargo Community Platform at Frankfurt Airport in 2009. The efficiency gains achieved since then are highlighted by DAKOSY CEO Ulrich Wrage: “Air freight shipments can be processed up to 50 percent faster at the airport compared to 2009 on the import side, for example, when participants use our platform.” The Cargo Community System allows for full integration of various requirements – from slot booking to ramp management to the automation of customs processes.

Chain Transparency Only Through Networking

Looking ahead to the coming years, Wrage and Spark expect high potential in the networking of IT platforms along the transport chains. “Real-time chain transparency is needed to respond early to any disruptions and to prevent production outages or delays,” assures Wrage. The executive duo has identified significant added value for the company in the areas of networking with other ports and the integration of cargo and infrastructure data.

Photo: © Dakosy / Adobe Stock