CEVA Logistics has signed an agreement to acquire 96 percent of Mumbai-based Stellar Value Chain Solutions from an affiliate of private equity firm Warburg Pincus and other shareholders. CEVA will acquire approximately 7,700,000 square feet of space across more than 70 facilities in 21 cities across India. In addition, CEVA will inherit the Stellar workforce of nearly 8,000 full-time and temporary employees, who have strong expertise and relationships in India. The Stellar acquisition will help CEVA diversify its presence in India, boosting its local workforce, assets, customer roster and capabilities. The deal strengthens CEVA’s strategy to provide its customers with end-to-end supply chain solutions. Started in 2016 by Anshuman Singh, Stellar Value Chain Solutions has grown into a key local player in contract logistics with omni-channel fulfillment services in the eCommerce, automotive, food products, consumer, fashion and retail, healthcare and pharmaceuticals market segments. Anshuman Singh will continue driving this business following the acquisition.

MOVIN commences operations from its new Air Cargo hub in New Delhi, enabling seamless connectivity for faster deliveries. The strategic location of the hub near Terminal 2 of the Air Cargo Logistics Complex Phase 3 ensures quicker movement of cargo which will greatly benefit its B2B customers across 49 express destinations. This express hub is spread across 9,000 square feet, and is well-equipped to handle and process close to 7,000 packages per day to begin with which will help in meeting a wide array of logistic requirements. This hub will provide the customers with competitive pick-up cut-off benefits, leading to an enhanced customer experience, fostering a stronger customer relationship. The establishment of the hub will also contribute to the creation of direct and indirect job opportunities. MOVIN currently has 14 operation hubs across major cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Pune and plans to establish 6 more by the end of the year 2023-24. JB Singh, Director, MOVIN Express said, “We are thrilled to introduce operations that have the potential to significantly contribute to the rapid development and growth of businesses in the country. The launch of a new air cargo hub in Delhi marks a pivotal milestone in our journey, one that aligns with our vision of enabling and facilitating trade, commerce, and employment. The new hub will enable us to expand our customer base and service offerings and will help create job opportunities in various roles. With our well-connected hubs coupled with our Express end-of-day and Standard Premium ground services, we are poised to provide substantial benefits to our valued customers while playing a vital role in fostering economic progress.”

SASI World, the advisory for the global aviation industry specializing in air cargo logistics, has launched its exclusive Smart Cargo Airports product to serve its worldwide airport and airline client base. Airports that have started the process include Chicago Rockford, Philadelphia and Northlink Anchorage in the USA, and Edmonton in Canada. Several others including developers and data systems suppliers, GHAs are in the evaluation and trial stages. “SASI World have recognised the need to facilitate and assist our airline and airport customer base by tying together the latest technological, environmental, regulatory, and operational elements on airport required for the introduction of new and competitive airline products,” reads the release. The industry still operates in a fragmented environment of standards and regulations. No one entity has a set of protocols that guides the industry. Major decisions and strategic alignment must be made to adjust to a post-Covid-19 world of supply chain issues and consumer demands for reliable, transparent and quality driven air cargo solutions and products.

Sunil Arora, Regional Air Freight India and Sub-Continent at Asia Shipping International Transport says, “Great emphasis needs to be given by the government of India to facilitate cross border trade. There’s lot of cargo which needs to be carried across borders. A lot of cargo is coming into India from Dhaka, which is a big manufacturer of textiles and apparel. Cargo moves from Dhaka to India by surface to Delhi, now we’ve got permission to move cargo to Mumbai as well, so it is a very smooth transit. About 2000 tons a month approximately is coming from Dhaka, every minute fleets of trucks are coming in from Dhaka and that is being airlifted. It is a surface air multi-modal cross-border scenario which is wonderful.”

TT Aviation Handling Services was felicitated with ‘Best Custom Bonded Trucking Operator’ at recently concluded India Cargo Awards 2023 in New Delhi. Piyush Srivastava, IES, Senior Economic Advisor graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. TT Group has a long presence in India and is a leading conglomerate dealing in international air cargo management, trucking, hotels & hospitality, insurance brokering, visa and consular services. Founded in 1984 by TT Vasu, a scion of the TTK family and youngest son of former Union Finance Minister, TT Krishnamachari, the group today has eight companies within its purview, employing around 400 people around India. Under the leadership of Chairman and MD Arun Vasu, the TT Group has been a beacon of growth, not only creating value for shareholders but also for the wider community, particularly through philanthropic, community-driven efforts.

“Regulations need to be simplified and standardized to make cross-border trading more efficient. A single-window customs clearance system needs to be created expediting imports and exports, says Amit Maheshwari, Founder & CEO, Softlink Global. We must invest in the latest logistics software solutions to ensure real-time tracking, efficient operations, and compliance management. He adds, “Enhancing the capacity and efficiency of major ports and airports to handle increased cargo traffic is important. A strategic investment in rail, road, and waterways to improve multimodal connectivity to these ports and airports is the need of the hour. We need policy reforms that are in step with global best practices. The absence of uniform and advanced technological systems for tracking, compliance, and operation management results in inefficiencies. On the other hand, adoption of technology also necessitates robust cybersecurity measures, which might not always be in place. Now, envisioning grand ports and a digitalized logistics network is fantastic, but the reality check is in the financing.”

Etihad Cargo operated the inaugural flight using Boeing 777-200 freighter to Ezhou Huahu Airport, making the carrier the first international airline to operate flights to the airport. Located in the Hubei Province of China, Ezhou Huahu Airport was developed as Asia’s first and the world’s fourth professional cargo airport. “Equipped with a 23,000-square-metre cargo terminal and a 700,000-square-metre freight transit centre, the airport serves as a gateway for air trade between China and the rest of the world. The airport is expected to open ten international cargo routes and 50 domestic routes by 2025 with an annual cargo and mail throughput of 2.45 million tonnes.”Etihad Cargo’s expansion to Ezhou follows the carrier’s announcement that it has expanded its reciprocal block space agreement with SF Airlines to increase cargo capacity between China and the rest of the world via Etihad Cargo’s hub in Abu Dhabi. “This partnership has given Etihad Cargo’s partners and customers greater accessibility to 25 domestic Chinese destinations including Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing. SF Airlines benefits from Etihad Cargo’s global network for its express product.”

Skye Air, a Gurugram-based drone solutions provider launched traffic management system for drones in India. Launched in the presence of Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India Nitin Gadkari, the software will allow drone operators to plan routes, make flight plans and assess risks before running drone-based operations in the country. The solution, called Skye UTM, is a first-of-its-kind for India. Unmanned traffic management systems will play a key role in how airspace will be managed, allowing multiple beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operations to be run by different firms at the same time. Globally, several companies, such as US-based AirMap and Netherlands-based Airbus, offer such solutions.

The demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production has increased considerably, says DHL Global Forwarding in its latest reports. The customers’ demand has been increased for sustainable solutions. The freight forwarder said a growing number of customer tenders and discussions included greenhouse gas transparency. Customers are also willing to explore the use of sustainable solutions even if they come at a higher cost. However, the forwarder is worried about the supply of SAF. “With the growing demand the availability of sustainable fuels must be scaled up significantly,” the company said. DHL Global Forwarding chief commercial officer Thomas George said: “From today’s perspective, e-fuels such as hydrogen and other sustainably produced synthetic fuels will only become increasingly available from 2030 onwards. “Until then we need to scale up sustainable biofuel usage – and this is only possible in a joint effort.”

Hans Infomatic was felicitated with ‘Best IT & Software Service Provider of the Year’ award at the recently concluded India Cargo Awards 2023 in New Delhi. Piyush Srivastava, IES, Senior Economic Advisor graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023 hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the Cargo Industry.