It is now five months since I began with Mercator. I am very proud to have taken this role and am also delighted by the professionalism and dedication of the Mercator Team. We provide Business Technology that improves processes, reduce costs and gives our customers a good return on investment. Our SkyChain Cargo business solution is a great example of such technology, replacing 23 legacy systems at one of our customers.

It has been a very good couple of months for SkyChain.  Swiss WorldCargo have now gone live with our new technology, following in the footsteps of Emirates SkyCargo and Midex where SkyChain redefined their end-to-end cargo operations.  Virgin Atlantic and SriLankan also opted for SkyChain after a rigorous selection process; our team already commenced implementation work at both. There is a great deal of hype in our industry about “new generation systems”. SkyChain is a true, proven and working example of a new-gen system that boosts efficiency and reduces support requirements with ease of interfacing and scalability. The timely information provided allows our customers to quickly adapt to market changes and facilitate an increased focus on revenue.

Recent market conditions exerted more pressure on providers to deliver solutions that fit the needs of their customers and highlighted the need for IT providers to be as close to their customers businesses as possible. I truly believe we do that. Few months ago we hosted Mercator Customer Forum in Dubai. We are now planning to give you the unique opportunity in early December to witness SkyChain live in operation at Emirates SkyCargo and to have an in-depth discussion with our business and technology team on how SkyChain may fit your requirements. Please visit our website to sign up for the Mercator Cargo Forum.

These are all exciting and ground breaking developments and I can assure you that there will be more to come as we focus on delivering to market requirements and the provision of Business Technology.

I look forward to meeting you soon.

Virgin Atlantic, the multi award-winning airline, has become the latest customer for SkyChain, a comprehensive end-to-end IT cargo management system developed by Mercator.

Mercator, the Dubai-based Business Technology Provider and Emirates Group subsidiary, plans to complete implementation by the end of April 2009. The solution will be implemented in Virgin Atlantic Cargo headquarters in Crawley, England, to be used by their staff and appointed partners globally.

Duncan Alexander, Vice President, Mercator, said: “The team at Virgin Atlantic put our team and our solution through an extremely rigorous selection process. We are delighted to now be their provider and look forward to implementing a business transforming solution.”

The British carrier becomes the fifth airline to join an impressive client list for Mercator's SkyChain solution, including Emirates Airline, Swiss WorldCargo, Midex Airlines, and SriLankan, proving SkyChain to be one of the industry’s key future cargo solutions.

John Lloyd, Director of Cargo, Virgin Atlantic said: “We're absolutely delighted that we will now have cutting-edge systems capabilities to support our award-winning service and staff. Our current systems have served us well, however it is time for us to move up a gear and provide our customers with the levels of connectivity they require, along with streamlined business processes and the ability to stay ahead in what is an increasingly competitive and dynamic industry.”

SkyChain, a centralised cargo reservation and business management solution, offers a number of advantages over existing systems. Benefits include compatibility with a wide host of customer systems, capacity to accommodate upgrades and changes through Java architecture, and real-time access and updates, all designed to address the current needs of today's cargo customer.

From its launch in April 2004, SkyChain was built in less than two-and-a-half years and was successfully implemented in August 2006. Built by a team of over 150 IT and Cargo professionals in Dubai, an overall effort of about 300 person years has contributed to creating the system, making it the largest single software development project in the aviation industry in recent times.

SkyChain, built for the air cargo business of today and that of the future is expected to make a significant difference to the air cargo industry.

SriLankan Airlines has signed up for SkyChain, the end to end cargo reservation and business management solution offered by Mercator, the Dubai-based business technology provider, which is part of the Emirates Group.

Patrick Naef, Head of Mercator said: “The timing of this partnership is significant – coming as it does when skyrocketing fuel prices are having a tremendous economic impact on the airline industry. This partnership clearly demonstrates that major players have confidence in our IT solutions to reduce costs and increase revenue.

He added: “SkyChain has been built for the air cargo business of today and the changing dynamics of the foreseeable future. We are confident SkyChain will have a significant and positive impact on our customers’ financial bottom line and make waves in the air cargo industry.”

Mercator plans to complete implementation by the second quarter of 2009. The solution will be hosted out of Mercator’s data centres in Dubai and used by authorised SriLankan cargo users out of Colombo and other outstation cargo offices globally.

The solution, wholly developed by Mercator in Dubai, has been designed to manage every aspect of an airline’s cargo business. Using the latest Java technology, it transforms information into a powerful asset with data fully utilised to maximise performance, raise service quality and optimise resources. Processes are streamlined and enhanced and the latest industry developments, such as IATA’s e-freight initiative, are fully supported.

Johann Wijesinghe, Head of Worldwide Cargo, SriLankan Airlines, said: "SriLankan Cargo is recognised today as one of the most energetic, technologically-advanced and cost efficient freight operators in South Asia. In our business, timing is everything. This is why we are working with Mercator, which has a proven track record for development, implementation and innovation, to fulfill an ever-increasing list of customer demands.”

He added: ‘SriLankan SkyChain’, which is our fully automated cargo logistic management system, will provide an integrated network of information and support services enabling our customers, no matter where they are, to always have a world of cargo services literally at their fingertips.”

Other customers for Mercator’s SkyChain include Swiss World Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo and Midex.

SriLankan Airlines is the national flag carrier of Sri Lanka and flies to over 30 international destinations

Midex Airlines, the only dedicated cargo airline for the UAE, has signed up for SkyChain Lite, the new end-to-end cargo reservation and business management solution offered by Mercator.

Midex is the first customer for this new hosted version of the award winning SkyChain application. SkyChain is a new generation cargo management system that was initially developed for Emirates SkyCargo. It replaced 23 legacy systems with a single integrated set of applications operating on a new technology platform. The hosted version sits within Mercator’s environment and is used independently by the individual airline. This service is designed for start up or small carriers.

The solution, wholly developed by Mercator in Dubai, has been designed to manage every aspect of an airline’s cargo business. It transforms information into a powerful asset, with data fully utilised to maximise performance, raise service quality and optimise resources. Processes are streamlined and enhanced, with the latest industry developments, such as IATA’s e-freight initiative, being fully supported. The system has the unique ability to process real time financial information for cargo operations thus optimising revenues.

SkyChain Lite will integrate with Midex’s current Track and Trace system currently being used for mail and courier services. SkyChain Lite will provide the solution for their new operations at Al Ain International Airport with a modern, flexible solution designed to meet market needs while adhering to and setting the highest possible standards.

Midex Airlines’ focus on serving niche cargo markets will be catered to by supplementing the SkyChain Lite solution with additional modules that ensures maximum advantage to users and customers. Expert teams from Mercator and Midex Airlines have been working together on this project, and have recently put the full system into operation.

Jassim Al Bastaki, Director General, Midex Airlines, said: “We were not looking for a supplier but for a partner, and we believe we have found a best-in-class solution with Mercator, who have a proven track record of development and have taken care of the implementation in a matter of few weeks.”

Duncan Alexander, Vice President, Sales and Market Development, Mercator, said: “I’m confident our SkyChain Lite solution will prove to be a great success for Midex. We will work together with them to further enhance the system to offer unprecedented flexibility, and the support needed to develop innovative business strategies with certainty.”

About Midex
Midex Airlines, a division of Midex International, is the only wholly dedicated cargo airline for the UAE. It operates a modern fleet of six, 45-tonne capacity Airbus A300 (F) and one Boeing B747-200F and is planning to launch scheduled services, initially linking destinations in France, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Lebanon from its base at Al Ain International Airport. Its operations are geared to high-added-value niches and products.

About SkyChain Lite:
SkyChain Lite is the hosted version of SkyChain which is a New Generation Cargo System built on state of the art technologies. This has the benefits of reducing time to market, reducing cost of ownership and optimising return on investment. The solution is offered either with a license model or an ASP (hosted) model. A licensed version is currently being implemented at Swiss.

The application is easy to learn, adopt, deploy and use. Industry standards have been adhered to and enhanced which truly sets this solution as a new benchmark for Cargo process automation. The application will continue to be developed, driven by user input and needs and supported by real industry expertise, state of the art technology, processes and tools.

The application has been fully deployed within Emirates SkyCargo and is attracting a great deal of interest from the cargo community as a whole.

About Mercator:
Mercator is a global provider of business technology solutions, delivering business transformation, process improvement and return on investment to more than 100 customers in five continents. Mercator’s solutions and services include financial management, cargo and logistics, passenger and airport solutions, process outsourcing, CRM and loyalty, hotel sales distribution, IT consulting and systems integration. From its Dubai base, Mercator also provides the Emirates Group with the full range of demanding business technology that it requires.