Category Archives: Supply Chain

FarEye has announced partnership with Blue Yonder to drive seamless interoperability between legacy infrastructure and modern supply chain and logistics tools. The joint capabilities of both organisations will bring predictive and real-time visibility to supply chains across manufacturing, retail distribution, logistics, and ecommerce. The joint solution can be accessed through Blue Yonder’s LuminateTM Platform. The Luminate Platform combines rich internal and external data from across a customer’s digital supply chain assets to allow for smarter, more actionable Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) based business decisions. “Globally, approximately 30 per cent of spend on logistics to tackle inefficiencies is creating an opportunity to save US$ 1000 billion. Together, FarEye and Blue Yonder aim to capture this market with their joint offering, which will provide an exceptional customer experience in the last mile,” says Kushal Nahata, CEO, FarEye.

M. Ajit Kumar, Chairman, CBIC has launched the e-Office application in over 500 CGST and Customs offices across India. The e-Office application was launched remotely in the presence of over 800 senior officers of CBIC. Dr Neeta Verma, DG, National Informatics Centre, (NIC) was also present. Over 50,000 officers and staff will use this application making CBIC one of the largest Government departments to automate its internal office procedures. The CBIC expects e-Office would complement its other IT led reforms which are directly aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business for the trade and industry. The launch of e-Office is one more measure taken by the CBIC in leveraging technology for providing a ‘Faceless, Contactless and Paperless’ indirect Tax administration.

To modernise farm logistics and supply value chains in line, the agriculture ministry has created a cell. The decision has taken after the recent announcements of reforms in the sector by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The reforms cell will help coordinate efforts to streamline supply and transportation of farm produce, and also aid projects to add value to primary farm goods for better prices to the farmers This includes making amendments to the six-decade-old ‘Essential Commodities Act’ and pushing two ordinances which will free up farm trade from all restrictions and guarantee a legal framework for pre-agreed prices to farmers. The government hopes that scaling back the ECA, 1955, will help drive up investment in cold storages and the food supply chain. Cold storages are refrigerated warehouses that can store perishables for up to six months. Refrigerated old stocks can cool food prices in times of scarcity.

Federation of Freight Forwarders Association in India (FFFAI) has recently organised a webinar with M. Ajit Kumar, Chairman, CBIC to discuss the initiatives required for maintaining critical supply chain in India during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sharing the struggles faced by customs brokers community during the Covid-19 times, A.V. Vijaykumar, Chairman, FFFAI, says, “The customs officials and customs brokers both were in the frontline to make sure that wheels of economy did not stop due to the stagnation of import and export handling during lockdown.” Acknowledging the effort taken by customs brokers in this crisis, Kumar says “It requires lot of courage to work in these times; even in the initial days when there was no permission to move, customs house agents took the pain to help us in the crucial function of clearing essential goods supply which was required by the country that time.” Talking about the future plans, Kumar commits, “By the end of December 2020 we will ensure the faceless assessment of cargo pan India. We will try to see that there will be no physical contact required between any importer, exporter, custom house or custom broker.”

Maersk has started end-to-end cold chain logistics solution for exporters shipping grapes from Nashik and Sangli to North Europe. With this service, Maersk offers end-to-end cold chain logistics solution for grapes’ exporters from Nashik and Sangli thus improving the overall turnaround time into North Europe by four days. Steve Felder, Managing Director – South Asia, Maersk, said “Nashik is a priority market for the exports of grapes from India. With our end-to-end cold chain solutions, we aim to enable the exporters to take their grapes from Nashik to North Europe with a fast turn-around time, and with more simplicity.”

Ahmedabad Custom Brokers Association (ACBA) tied up with Logistics Skill Council to impart one day program on ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ at Ahmedabad. Around 220 candidates from logistics industry had attended this training program and 194 candidates has successfully appeared for examination after completion of session. Samir J. Shah, Ex-Chairman, FFFAI & Chairman, ACBA has explained about the recognition of prior learning and benefits of the same. He also explained the upcoming changes in Indian customs, shipping and logistics. The program not only helped candidates to sharpen their knowledge but get the deep idea of the changing pattern and scenario of logistics Industry in coming time. “ACBA will organise same type of training session in upcoming days for the betterment of logistics industry informs,” Kartik Pancholi, President, ACBA.

In its pursuit for innovation and pioneering efforts in the technological application tools, Skyways Group launched a web-based business venture sKart. S.L Sharma, Chairman, Skyways Group stressed on the importance to move proactively on the digital journey which has changed the logistics landscape. Skart is 100 per cent cloud-based logistics industry software which will enable every small, SME and even big-ticket company to procure best in industry services for courier and express shipments to expand their businesses at a place of their convenience. The software has ERP which enables its customers to generate labels, provide real-time information, manages records etc. It manages all databank of KYC, labels, MIS etc online which allows its customers to access them at any time.

As per the nomenclature changed in Customs Brokers Licensing Regulations – 2013, Ahmedabad Custom House Agents’ Association (ACHAA) will now be known as Ahmedabad Custom Brokers’ Association (ACBA). The new name and registration have been also granted under the Societies Registration Act, 1660 and under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950. The announcement of new name has been made by Devang Joshi – the then President ACHAA, during the Annual General Meeting of the association. Parag Baraiya, the then Hon. Secretary, ACHAA, announced the first new managing committee formed under ACBA as: Samir Shah, Chairman Kartik Pancholi, President Devendra Thakker, Vice President Darshan Mashroo, Hon. Secretary Chinmay Kothari, Hon. Jt. Secretary Viral Zaveri, Treasurer Rakesh Oza, Managing Committee Member The new managing committee has taken the charge of association immediately after the AGM and the first meeting of ACBA.

With an interest to strengthen pharma supply chain in the country, GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) has entered into an agreement with Agility. “As the operator of India’s first Pharma Zone offering an unbroken cold chain from truck-dock to the airside, Hyderabad Airport has been a strong proponent of collaboration with the industry leaders to help strengthen the pharma supply chain in the country,” said SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL. With the new partnership, GHIAL hopes to strengthen the supply chain system in India and pharma cargo sector.

ESR, the Warburg Pincus-backed company, is planning to develop a 300,000 square metre (3.2 million square foot) logistics park on the site in Haryana state. The company acquired the land parcel, which is adjacent to the 223,000 square metre Keystone Knowledge Park science and technology hub. “ESR India is committed to building institutional grade logistics infrastructure to facilitate the development and modernisation of the nation’s supply chain. ESR Sohna will be well-positioned to cater to the needs of the expanding e-commerce industry with state-of-the-art infrastructure to aid advanced supply chain and logistics processes,” says, Abhijit Malkani and Jai Mirpuri, Country Heads of ESR India, in a joint statement. Located in the city of Sohna, 55 kilometres south of Indira Gandhi International Airport, the proposed high-spec park will support last-mile delivery for the business hubs of New Delhi, Gurugram and Faridabad.