WATERLOO, Ontario, Oct. 2, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Descartes Systems Group, a global on-demand software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions provider, announced that Lufthansa Cargo has signed a three-year extension of its membership to the Descartes GF-X Exchange to support Lufthansa Cargo's global electronic cargo bookings.
Lufthansa Cargo has selected Descartes' GF-X Exchange to manage its electronic cargo bookings, including the ability for freight forwarders to do instant queries of capacity availability and flight schedules.
"By working with Descartes and offering e-booking capabilities to our customers, we provide an easy and accessible service for our customers to make freight bookings," said Helge Kruger-Lorenzen, Vice President Global Sales Steering of Lufthansa Cargo. "Descartes GF-X Exchange provides our customers with on-going access to our current carrier information and allows them to make electronic bookings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via a simple web browser with no software installation required."
"Among the largest cargo carriers in the world, Lufthansa is providing a differentiated service by providing access to schedules and cargo capacity for air freight forwarders," said Ed Ryan, Executive Vice President of Global Field Operations for Descartes. "With Descartes' GF-X Exchange, Lufthansa Cargo is automating and standardizing the bookings process allowing them to streamline their operations and provide a value-added service to their customers."
Descartes GF-X Exchange is one of the largest electronic information and reservation systems in the airfreight industry. Airfreight carriers can distribute real-time product, routing, capacity and rate information to their forwarders worldwide. Airfreight forwarders can access carrier information, make electronic bookings and track shipments online.
Descartes GF-X Exchange is part of the Descartes Global Logistics Network(tm) (GLN), which enables the world's leading transportation providers to connect to their trading partners and reliably exchange information to drive delivery performance and high levels of customer satisfaction. The Descartes GLN helps companies better manage their logistics shipment management process, track inventory, meet regulatory requirements, optimize fleet performance, and effectively communicate with their logistics partners.
About Lufthansa Cargo
Lufthansa Cargo AG became an autonomous company within the Lufthansa Group on 30 November 1994, reflecting the growing importance of airfreight as a business area in its own right. With a transport volume of 1.81 million tonnes of freight and mail, 8.45 billion revenue tonne-kilometres and revenues of around 2.74 billion euros in 2007, Lufthansa Cargo ranks among the world's biggest cargo carriers. The company currently employs around 4,600 staff worldwide. Lufthansa Cargo's core competency is the airport-to-airport business. Lufthansa Cargo operates a fleet of 19 of its own MD-11F aircraft and has several other freighters on charter. The company also markets the belly capacities of all passenger aircraft operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG. The route network encompasses 300 destinations, which are served by cargo and passenger aircraft as well as by trucking services. The bulk of the airfreight is trans-shipped at the Lufthansa Cargo Center at Frankfurt Airport, the company's main hub. Its other hubs are Leipzig and Munich. For more information, visit www.lufthansa-cargo.com.
About Descartes
Descartes (TSX:DSG) (Nasdaq:DSGX), a leading provider of software-as-a-service (SaaS) logistics solutions, is delivering results across the globe today for organizations that operate logistics-intensive businesses. Descartes' logistics management solutions combine a multi-modal network, the Descartes Global Logistics Network, with component-based 'nano' sized applications to provide messaging services between logistics trading partners, shipment management services to help manage third party carriers and private fleet management services for organizations of all sizes. These solutions and services help Descartes' customers reduce administrative costs, billing cycles, fleet size, contract carrier costs, and mileage driven and improve pick up and delivery reliability. Our hosted, transactional and packaged solutions deliver repeatable, measurable results and fast time-to-value. Descartes customers include an estimated 1,600 ground carriers and more than 90 airlines, 30 ocean carriers, 900 freight forwarders and third-party providers of logistics services, and hundreds of manufacturers, retailers, distributors, private fleet owners and regulatory agencies. The company has more than 300 employees and is based in Waterloo, Ontario, with operations in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Ottawa, Washington DC, Derby, London, Stockholm, Shanghai, Singapore and Melbourne. For more information, visit www.descartes.com.
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This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements") that relate to Descartes' solution offering and potential benefits derived therefrom; and other matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the factors and assumptions discussed in the section entitled, "Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results" in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across Canada. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.