HONG KONG: September 29, 2018. Unilode has successfully completed Bluetooth tracking trials with its ULD management customer Cathay Pacific, as it looks to provide improved visibility on cargo shipments between Hong Kong and Melbourne.

The project team, consisting of Cathay Pacific, OnAsset, Nexiot and Unilode, was able to deliver a flawless capture of data for all relevant supply chain events into Cathay Pacific's cargo management systems.

The trial included the world's first deployment of Bluetooth Low Energy Version 5 technology with superior performance and range and also featured another world-first with data capture from smartphones and tablets - a "true game-changer for delivering reliable and robust tracking services to our industry," said a company statement.

The Cathay Pacific Group says Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon air cargo traffic rose 8.9 percent in August, compared to the same period last year, to reach 187,644 tonnes and a load factor increase of 2.9 percent to 68.4 percent network-wide.

In the first eight months of 2018 air cargo volume by the two airlines rose 7.1 percent against a 3.3 percent increase in capacity.

Cathay Pacific director Commercial and Cargo Ronald Lam commented: “Our cargo business continued its good momentum in August. Tonnage grew ahead of capacity, which was driven by strong transshipment volumes across our network. We saw good growth among the pharmaceutical and perishable segments.

“However, the favourable currency trend that we have enjoyed so far this year is reversing rapidly. Besides, our performance in September is set to be negatively impacted by the significant typhoons that disrupted our operations in both Japan and Hong Kong, especially our cargo business which is in its seasonal peak. We are also closely monitoring external factors that have the potential to impact global trade,” he added.