Lufthansa Cargo relies on Scope from Riege Software for Customs declarations

Essential criteria in choosing a system and partner were, among others, the technical sustainability of the system as well as the confidence in long-term development based on partnership. “In view of the large volumes that we handle in Germany and worldwide, we need a strong IT partner. A powerful and reliable interface to the customs authorities via continuously enhanced software with fast adaptation of short-term changes is crucial for us and our customers”, said Michael Reisenberg, Head of Application Development – Cargo Handling, Customs & Connectivity at Lufthansa Cargo.

With these stringent requirements, Lufthansa Cargo opted for Scope, the application for digital logistics developed by Riege. In just 4 months of intensive work, the team around Dirk Heidenfelder, Product Manager Customs at Riege Software, and Holger Merk, Team Leader Customs Development, were able to implement the requirements. The focus was on automated clearance of the summary declaration (SumA) and re-exports by taking IATA messages and converting them into a standardized format. In addition, the transit procedure is also created via IATA messages and then supplemented manually. “There is still room for further automation of the processes”, summarized Dirk Heidenfelder. And Holger Merk added: “We are prepared for this. Scope has considerable potential to provide users with even more comprehensive support in the control and post-processing processes.”

An essential part of the project was also the accompanying coaching in the go-live phase and reliable support, which Riege defines as functionality within Scope and not as is usual, a supplementary service. “The strength of our product lies not least in the qualification of the people who develop, permanently improve and expand it – and accompany customers in an advisory and problem-solving way. Anyone who relies on Scope can also rely on the support”, said Dr. Tobias Riege, CEO of Riege Software, “just as we could rely on the cooperation of those involved at Lufthansa Cargo. My special thanks go to the entire Lufthansa Cargo team, both in the stations and in the central departments, for their fantastic support throughout the entire project phase.”

In Germany the locations Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Paderborn went live with over 800 users, in Austria Vienna with about 20. “The speedy implementation of the project was very important for us. In addition to the always highly professional cooperation, the positive team spirit also contributed to the success, which further increased the common motivation”, commented Oliver Schatz, Head of Global Handling Processes and responsible for Customs at Lufthansa Cargo, on the timely implementation.

About Lufthansa Cargo

With a turnover of 2.7 billion euros and 8.9 billion revenue tonne-kilometres in 2018, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the world’s leading companies in the transport of air freight. The company currently employs about 4,500 people worldwide. Lufthansa Cargo focuses on the airport-to-airport business. The cargo carrier serves around 300 destinations in more than 100 countries with its own fleet of freighters, the belly capacities of passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa German Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and SunExpress, and an extensive road feeder service network. The bulk of the cargo business is routed through Frankfurt Airport. Lufthansa Cargo is a wholly owned Lufthansa subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Lufthansa Group’s logistics specialist.