Cyrus Katgara, Partner, Jeena & Co, says, “Ensuring data integrity across medical products and services throughout the supply chain is a significant challenge, alongside other areas in the sector that require improvement. While efforts are underway to address various issues, the shortage of skilled workforce remains a major pain point.” Focusing on Govt’s initiatives to improve multimodal infrastructure, he adds, “Governments and private sector are actively investing in the enhancement of transportation infrastructure. These investments aim to facilitate the accommodation of temperature-controlled vehicles and facilities through various upgrades and expansions. Furthermore, there is a notable integration of advanced technologies such as GPS tracking, temperature monitoring systems, and remote control mechanisms into reefer vehicles. This integration is geared towards improving the precision and efficiency of managing temperature-sensitive shipments, thereby optimizing overall logistics operations. Additionally, the establishment of strategically located cold chain warehouses along transportation routes is playing a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless transfer of goods between different modes of transport while maintaining the requisite temperature conditions. Along with infrastructure and technological advancements, the government is instituting regulations and standards to ensure the safe and efficient transportation of perishable goods. These regulations encompass vehicle specifications, driver training protocols, and strict adherence to temperature maintenance guidelines.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced launched IATA digitalisation leadership charter at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Hong Kong. Cathay Cargo, CHAMP Cargosystems, Global Logistics System (HK) Company (GLS), IAG Cargo, IBS Software, LATAM Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo are the inaugural signatories of the charter, says an official release from IATA. “The digitalisation leadership charter aims to accelerate the air cargo industry’s digitalisation journey by committing to five key guiding principles. Developed in consultation with IATA’s cargo advisory council members, airlines and the wider air cargo community, the charter seeks to drive innovation, enhance efficiency and promote a sustainable and harmonised digital transformation. Central to the charter is the importance of data sharing using IATA ONE Record for smooth and efficient data exchange.” Brendan Sullivan, Global Head of Cargo, IATA says: “Digitalisation is imperative for the air cargo industry. It requires alignment to ensure a unified and effective approach. IATA has introduced the digitalization leadership charter to spearhead this alignment. By adhering to the charter’s principles—adopting industry-wide standards, championing sustainability, ensuring ethical technology use and upholding digital leadership — the charter sets a benchmark for excellence.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Smart Freight Centre (SFC) announced a partnership to provide consistent and transparent CO2 emissions calculations for air cargo shipments. This is an important step for the global air transport sector to advance its decarbonization efforts. The two organizations will focus efforts on developing the cargo component of IATA’s CO2 Connect offering, which successfully launched its passenger version in 2022. The IATA CO2 Connect platform uses primary industry data to power highly accurate carbon calculations. The collaboration with the SFC Clean Air Transport Program will promote a common methodology in CO2 emission calculations and ensure accurate and consistent CO2 calculations are distributed to the industry’s biggest shippers and freight forwarders in air cargo, supporting them with pre-shipment and reporting purposes.

Revent Precision Engineering, in collaboration with ECS Mobility, announces the establishment of a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Dharuhera, Haryana. The manufacturing facility is equipped with cutting-edge technology and maintains the highest standards, ensuring that the processes meet the quality benchmarks demanded by the market. This marks a significant step in the roadmap to expanding product offerings in the existing automotive segment. Revent Group companies have a presence in domestic and export markets with 13 manufacturing plants across India, creating over 1500 jobs in the coming 10 years. This facility will manufacture ring gears on flex plates, flywheels, and independent ring gears, with a production capacity of over 5,00,000 units in the initial years, and the company will be scaling up the manufacturing unit in the coming years. As these products are in synergy with the existing product line and line of business, it will allow the company to expand its part portfolio in the auto component industry. Revent has been offering diversified one-stop solutions in Ferrous and non-ferrous Castings, Forgings and allied Machining processes, serving a diversified customer base in Passenger and Commercial vehicles, Construction Equipment, Farm Equipment, Two Wheelers and Three Wheelers and other non-automotive sectors like Railways. Speaking on this partnership, Mr. Prakash Khose, MD & Group CEO, of Revent Precision Engineering, said, “We are delighted to introduce the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in partnership with ECS Mobility. It is a momentous step towards our commitment to serving a diverse customer base. This strategic alliance will help us expand into the auto component industry and add new clients to our portfolio. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of manufacturing processes to meet the quality benchmarks.” The …

Adani Group is the world’s second largest solar power company. We are the largest airport operator with 25% of pax traffic and 40% of air cargo. We are the largest Ports & Logistics company with 30% of national market share, says Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group in his speech. “We are India’s largest integrated energy player. Our presence spans across generation, transmission, and distribution, LNG and LPG terminals, city gas and piped gas distribution. We are the country’s second largest cement manufacturer. And we have declared our path forward in new sectors including metals, petchem, aerospace and defence, data centres, super apps, and industrial clouds. Under the PPP agreement, we were selected by the Gujarat government to develop a full-fledged commercial port in Mundra. Keep in mind, while I knew our end objective was to build a port, we had not even laid a brick in our life. Thereafter, the next opportunity followed when the Gujarat Government announced the SEZ policy in 2005. The 40,000 acres of marshy land around Mundra port that was considered of very little value, had now become a priceless asset. We moved quickly to convert the land originally allocated for salt works – into what is now the country’s largest multi-product SEZ – supported by an unparalleled world class infrastructure including ports, rail, and air networks,” he adds.

DHL Express has opened its first automatic shipment sorting hub in New Delhi, India. In 2003, DHL Express opened India’s first ever air-side Express Facility and connected India to the global network with its first dedicated international freighter. This pioneering move led the way for Indian businesses to experience seamless express connections to global markets. In 2017, DHL Express expanded its air-side operations with a new Export Express Terminal to expand EXIM capacity and streamline processes, to support the growing exports trade out of North India. With the current expansion, the total DHL Express Delhi Gateway capacity will grow by nearly 6 times since its inception two decades ago. This new shipment sorting hub spread over 34256 Sq Ft houses the automatic sorting machines with capacity to sort 2000 pieces per hour delivering a 30% improvement in productivity. The 18 sorting chutes, 11 truck docks, and 8 telescopic conveyors help in processing the inbound shipments faster and in turn improve transit times for customers. This is the first auto sort machine to be deployed for any international express processing in India, streamlining processes and delivering better service quality for our customers. The facility also stages outbound export shipments, thereby freeing up space at the existing Export Facility which can then be used for enhancing transit times and service quality for customers. The new shipment sorting hub is LEED gold certified and uses Green Guard certified furniture, energy-efficient air conditioning and lighting systems, while incorporating 20% recycled materials in its interiors. At the inauguration, John Pearson, CEO, DHL Express said, “For over 40 years, at DHL Express we have been committed to providing Indian businesses with a world-class logistics experience. We …

IndoSpace announced the launch of its first in city warehousing facility in Chembur, under the brand name INLOGIS, a cutting-edge in-city warehousing solution in the heart of Mumbai. The facility spans over 1.5 lakhs+ sq. ft offers scalability options ranging from 5000 to 35,000 sq. ft, enhancing urban logistics across several sectors. Strategically located in Chembur, it provides seamless connectivity to South Mumbai, Western Suburbs, Eastern Suburbs, and Navi Mumbai, thus serving over 50% of Mumbai’s population and meeting the growing demand for quick and efficient urban distribution services. It is well connected to major transport routes like the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), Mumbai-Pune Expressway, JNPT Port, Easter Freeway, Eastern Expressway, Airports including the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. Customers in the city increasingly prioritise speed, often preferring to pay more for quicker delivery services. INLOGIS Chembur is poised to transform the logistics industry by utilising vertical space development and maximising Mumbai’s urban landscape’s potential for efficient and last mile warehousing solutions. INLOGIS Chembur has also installed highly efficient cargo elevators and docking stations designed for rapid servicing, resulting in improved dispatch lead times. INLOGIS Chembur targets pivotal sectors such as 3PL, eCommerce, retail, and consumer durables. In response to the growing demand for quick urban delivery, INLOGIS Chembur is set to become a crucial part of the urban warehousing infrastructure. Rajesh Jaggi, Vice Chairman – Real Estate, The Everstone Group, highlights that the focus on urban warehousing is a strategic response to the needs of metropolitan consumers and businesses. INLOGIS Chembur is expected to set new benchmarks in the industry and pave the way for rapid economic growth. IndoSpace’s latest offering is a step towards creating a seamless …

Softlink Global, a provider of innovative logistics solutions and developer of the acclaimed Logi-Sys TMS, announced its exciting new role as the company joins the IATA Strategic Partnerships Program and provide its knowledge and expertise in the Digital & Interactive Cargo stream. The official signing ceremony took place at the IATA World Cargo Summit (WCS) event in Hong Kong (12-14 March, 2024). Joining Forces for a Smarter Air Cargo Future: This strategic partnership marks a significant step forward for both Softlink Global and the air cargo industry. Softlink Global, already serving a vast client base with over 30 years of experience, brings its renowned technological expertise to the table. With a focus on cutting-edge solutions like Blockchain, Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing, Softlink Global aligns perfectly with IATA’s vision for a digitally driven future. “We welcome Softlink to the IATA Strategic Partnerships Program and look forward to their contribution to air cargo’s digitalization. It is priority across the whole value chain,” stated Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. Amit Maheshwari, CEO of Softlink Global, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “This is clearly the right direction for Softlink Global. We are a tech-driven company, and this partnership allows us to actively contribute to critical initiatives like eFreight, One Record, and future projects under the IATA Strategic Partner umbrella.” Beyond Technology: Expanding Global Reach: Furthermore, Softlink Global sees this partnership as an opportunity to expand its global reach, particularly in the important European market. By actively collaborating with IATA and its members, Softlink Global aims to further its mission of empowering the air cargo industry with cutting-edge technology and solutions.

Early growth investment fund Fundalogical Ventures (FLV) has announced their first investment in the Pre – Series A round raised by Indicold, a tech enabled cold supply chain company. The funds will be used to focus on tech development, expanding into new geographies and building a strong team. Fundalogical is backed by well-known sponsors such as Krishna Kotak, Chairman of JM Baxi Group, Tushar Jani, Blue Dart Founder, Mehernosh Currawalla of FAK Cargo Dynamics, Khalid Vohra of SAI Shipping and Suryakant Parekh of Polestar & Parekh Group. It is one of the few funds operating at the intersection of early growth, a cusp between VC and PE and focusing on high growth sectors like Supply Chain and Logistics, and peripheral sectors like consumption which are driven by supply chain. The Fund invests in innovative early growth companies with an average investment size of ₹ 20 to 80 Crore, during their investment cycle as a lead or co-investor. Commenting on the investment, Mr. Tushar Jani, Sponsor, Fundalogical Ventures, “With the country’s rapidly expanding demand for efficient cold logistics solutions, we see immense potential for growth in this sector. With huge losses in storage and transportation of temperature-controlled food supply chains, Indicold’s visionary founders and innovative operations will bring value-added propositions to their customers.”

DHL and New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business released the new DHL Global Connectedness 2024 to track how flows of trade, capital, information, and people move around the world and measures the globalization of 181 countries and territories. The report reveals that globalization reached a record high in 2022 and remained close to that level in 2023 – despite a series of global shocks over the past decade, including the Covid-19 pandemic, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the U.S. – China trade conflict, and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The evidence strongly rebuts the notion that the growth of global flows has gone into reverse. Trade growth played a crucial role in boosting global connectedness. The share of global output traded internationally was back to a record high level in 2022. After a slowdown in 2023, trade growth is forecast to accelerate in 2024. The globalization of information flows has been especially strong over the past two decades, even though the latest data show a stall in their growth, partly due to less research collaboration between the U.S. and China. Corporate globalization is rising, with companies expanding their international presence and earning more sales abroad. John Pearson, CEO DHL Express, said: “The most recent findings of the DHL Global Connectedness Report unequivocally dispel the notion of globalization reversing course. Far from being a mere buzzword, globalization is an influential force that has profoundly reshaped our world and has further great potential. Expanding markets and fostering opportunities empower individuals, businesses, and entire nations to flourish in unique ways. Embracing globalization allows us and our customers to forge a promising future, fostering an increasingly interconnected world, more prosperous for …