Lufthansa Extends Membership to Descartes GF-X Global Electronic
Cargo Booking Exchange
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.
The Descartes Systems Group logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4065
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.
CONTACT: Descartes Systems Group
Media contact:
Nicole German
1-416-741-2838 ext. 298
ngerman@descartes.com
