AVG Logistics has recently expanded its existing rail freight segment – running on various routes throughout the country – and has transformed into a multi-modal, end-to-end logistics services provider. “We have introduced rail services for express, FMCG, automotive, e-com and other industries on all major routes ex north to east , west to east, north to south & return. We have become a true multimodal logistics company, catering to all major industries for end to end solutions via road, rail, coastal, air and cold chain solutions.” said Vinayak Gupta, Vice-President, AVG Logistics. Maintaining the growth and pace of other existing modes of transportation, the leading homegrown logistics company has ventured into rail logistics with the aim to boost parcel business and give hastened yet safer and affordable services to their new as well as existing customers. Another factor considered for the crucial diversification of their service portfolio was the increasingly volatile fuel prices and their burgeoning effect on the operational costs for their customers.

Union Road Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, announced that the Indian national highway network will cover 2 lakh kilometres within 3 years’ time. He said, “The Indian government is working toward the development of a national highway network of 2 lakh kilometres by 2025”. He further added that the Centre is developing 22 greenfield access control expressways to reduce travel time. He was speaking about the role of infrastructure development in realising India’s $5 trillion economy goal and said, apart from cutting down travel time and fuel cost, highways also help in economic development of a region. This will be achieved through multi-modal connectivity that will provide seamless connectivity for the movement of people, goods and services from one mode of transport to another. Apart from speaking about the expansion of the Indian national highway network, the Union minister also claimed the Centre wants to bring down the cost of logistics to 10 percent from the current 14-16 percent of GDP. “It (cost of logistics in GDP) is 8-10 percent in China and 12 percent in European countries. If we bring this down to 10-12 percent in India, we can compete well in the international market,” Gadkari stated. Gadkari is also looking to raise the speed limit on national expressways from 120 km/hr to 140 km/hr, since expressways in India are currently being constructed to ensure safety and to prevent animals from entering them.

GEODIS, a global leading transport and logistics services provider, will provide airfreight, ocean freight, contract logistics and customs brokerage solutions for its customers in a wide range of market sectors, including automotive and FMCG from it’s new site strategically located at Brisbane Airport. The new site will have easy access to key locations, being only 14km from the central business district, and 22km from the Port of Brisbane. It will serve the growing logistical needs of GEODIS’ customers. The planned 4,500m2 warehouse facility, which is due to be operational by second half of 2022, will feature 4,000 pallet locations, 1,500m2 of bulk space, and a cool room for perishable goods supply to marine and hospitality logistics customers, especially cruise lines. Stuart Asplet, GEODIS’ Sub-Regional Managing Director, Pacific Regional Director Sea Freight, Asia Pacific said: “At this new facility, GEODIS will showcase its expertise in import and export services including customs brokerage to ensure complete supply chain transparency. GEODIS in Brisbane already has a strong package of solutions for our customers. This new, strategically positioned facility will not only enable us to meet the fast-changing needs of our customers today but will give us ample room to grow our offerings in the market.” BNE Property is delivering the purpose-built warehouse at Brisbane Airport’s Export Park, a precinct home to large-scale warehousing, freight handling, and distribution centres, as well as catering, wholesaling, and storage facilities.

Blume Global, a leading provider of true end-to-end supply chain visibility technology solutions, has experienced exponential growth in India in less than two years. Blume India will also be making a continued investment in the region as part of Blume’s acquisition of LiveSource, a leading multi-enterprise supply chain business network for complex manufacturers. With LiveSource, Blume now provides complete, end-to-end supply chain visibility, extending the standard definition of visibility beyond the transportation of goods. Blume is the only worldwide supply chain technology provider that can support customers with real-time visibility from sourcing and procurement all the way through order delivery. “Blume India is proud to serve our customers with the only neutral, single-source visibility solution that covers the entire supply chain, giving our users unique and unrivaled transparency and insight at a time when congestion and capacity constraints are still common,” said Sudhir Unnikrishnan, senior vice president and managing director of India at Blume Global. “Though we were presented with the challenges of navigating through the pandemic, our ultimate successes were testament to the hard work and resiliency of Blume Global India, and we look forward to the bright spots ahead of us as we continue growing.”

Qatar Airways has ordered up to 50 Boeing 777-8 freighters as the airframer adds a new model to cater for growing cargo demand. The Middle East-based airline ordered 34 of the aircraft with options for a further 16 in a deal that is valued at more than $20bn based on list prices. It is the largest freighter commitment in Boeing’s history by value. Boeing said the B777-8F, which will be part of the B777X family, offers a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes and a range of 8,167 km. The first delivery is expected in 2027. “With payload capacity nearly identical to the B747-400 Freighter and a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and operating costs, the B777-8 Freighter will enable a more sustainable and profitable business for operators,” Boeing said. Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Boeing has a long history of building market-leading freighter aircraft and Qatar Airways is honored to have the opportunity to be the launch customer for the 777-8 Freighter, an aircraft which will not only allow us to further enhance our product offering for our customers, but also help us meet our objectives to deliver a sustainable future for our business. Today marks a great day in the ever-building and strong relationship between Qatar Airways and Boeing. We certainly push Boeing hard to deliver upon our expectations, and the team at Boeing consistently strives to meet and exceed our expectations, giving the opportunity for us to be here today to launch the most significant new freighter aircraft for a generation.”

Ground handler dnata will invest over €200m investment in a fully automated cargo centre at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). The 61,000 sq m dnata Cargo City Amsterdam facility, located at Schiphol South-East, will be capable of processing over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Scheduled to become operational in 2024, the facility will handle all types of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, mail, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles. dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be developed by Schiphol Commercial Real Estate and equipped by Lödige Industries The cargo centre will be fitted with two separate automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), using technology from Lödige Industries, for import and export with twelve stacker cranes. A total of up to 2,500 pallets will be stored here. In addition, separate storage for ULDs will be serviced by four elevating transport vehicles (ETV). dnata will also make use of seven intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGV) from Lödige Industries to enable flexible and scalable ULD transport within the terminal. Smart gates will automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming consignments by scanning them in 3D, thus significantly speeding up handling and improving the quality of service. All elements will be integrated into a warehouse management system to enable dnata to further grow its operations and service at AMS.

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) is strengthening its operations in Bangladesh, where it has served the country’s exporters connect to the global market for almost three decades. Bangladesh has been one of the most important sourcing markets for the garments and apparel industry worldwide. The garment manufacturers exporting to global markets have significantly contributed towards building the country’s economy. Despite the impressive growth of garments’ exports from Bangladesh, the number of warehouses in Chattogram have not increased since 2012 with the sole exception of ISATL that became operational in 2018. Optimizing utilization of available capacity assisted to an extent, however it did not scale enough to meet the trade’s requirements. The logistics ecosystem and the Chittagong Port get stretched, particularly during the peak seasons. In 2021, a fallout of this structural challenge was felt by all the stakeholders involved in import-export trade when the Container Freight Stations (CFS) got clogged with cargo resulting in delayed clearance, stuffing and consequently dispatch of containers to the port. Delay in offloading cargo also led to longer truck waiting time, and delay in despatch of containers to the port, consequently resulting in lack of overall productivity. These challenges have serious consequences on the overall economy of the country given the fact that the Chittagong Port handles in excess of 90% of the total containerized trade to and from Bangladesh. Recognizing these challenges, Maersk Bangladesh has partnered with ISATL to build a 200,000 sq. ft custom bonded warehouse. ISATL are pioneers in constructing and operating warehouses and CFS and operate four CFS within Chattogram and the River Terminal at Dhaka. Under the scope of this partnership, ISATL will construct a brand new custom bonded warehouse …

Geodis has awarded Menzies Aviation a cargo handling contract for its volumes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The five-year contract includes cargo handling for the import and export of goods on the forwarder’s Amsterdam flights, operating five times a week. A team of over 20 Menzies Aviation professionals will provide these services to the carrier. Menzies already provides ramp transport services for intact ULDs to GEODIS at the airport. Miguel Gomez Sjunnesson, executive vice president Europe, Menzies Aviation, said: “We are delighted to provide cargo handling services to Geodis at Amsterdam, which is a strategic cargo hub for the carrier. This contract win signifies the high standard and secure service our team has already delivered to Geodis on the ramp. We’re looking forward to building a successful partnership with Geodis over the years to come.”

With the first freight train reaching Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this will enhance the state’s commerce and connectivity as goods from there will reach all parts of the country. The freight train arrived at the Rani Gaidinliu station in the north-eastern state on January 27, days after a passenger train from Silchar in Assam reached the Bongaichungpao railway station in Manipur. “Transformation of the Northeast continues. Manipur’s connectivity will be enhanced and commerce will be boosted. Wonderful products from the state can travel all over the nation,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter tagging a post of Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy. The Union minister along with his tweet also shared a video of the freight train arriving at the station. “Historic day for Manipur and entire North East, after 75 years of India’s Independence, first goods train reaches Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station, Tamenglong in Manipur. The Narendra Modi government is committed to enhancing infrastructure connectivity and economic prosperity in the NER (northeast region),” Reddy tweeted. The project, which includes the country’s longest train tunnel, will connect Imphal with Guwahati. Taking to Twitter, the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, “In yet another milestone, the first ever goods train reached Rani Gaidinliu Railway Station, Tamenglong. The improvement in railway connectivity, under the close supervision of Hon’ PM Sh @narendramodi ji, will immensely improve the socio-economic condition of Manipur.”

Etihad Cargo has been awarded IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) for Live Animals. The UAE national carrier is the first airline in the Middle East and third globally to hold IATA’s CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Fresh, and CEIV Pharma certifications. The certification was awarded following an IATA-led assessment of Etihad Cargo’s dedicated LiveAnimals, for animal transportation, and SkyStables, for equine transportation, products, as well as its logistics’ audit checklist to ensure compliance with standards, requirements, and Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The transportation of live animals requires specific conditions and the CEIV certification further underlines Etihad Cargo’s experience and committment to animal welfare and safe transportation. Etihad Cargo is proud to have secured certification for its LiveAnimals and SkyStables products. This recognition further endorses the industry-leading service we provide global customers.” The key benefits of CEIV Live Animals certification include improving animal welfare and safety through appropriate quality and risk management, and enhancing standardisation and professionalism in the handling and transportation of live animals in a multimodal environment. The certification also enforces compliance with the IATA LAR, elevating staff competency through efficient and robust training programmes, and enabling increased collaboration among stakeholders and certified trade lanes.