Category Archives: Warehousing

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has invested Rs 30,000 crore (around USD 3.76 billion) in its retail business and added 2,500 stores, taking the total store count to 15,196 in FY22. Besides, Reliance Retail added 11.1 million square feet of warehousing space during the year, nearly doubling the warehousing space to 22.7 million square feet, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) said in the annual report for FY22. “Reliance Retail has built capabilities through organic growth, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships with investments near Rs 30,000 crore in FY 2021-22. Reliance Retail added over 2,500 new stores and 11.1 million sq ft of warehousing space during the year,” said official statement from RIL. In FY22, on an average, Reliance Retail added seven stores per day.

Rhenus Group has expanded its warehousing footprint in India with the opening of two new multi-user chemical warehouses in Jamalpur (Gurugram) and Bhiwandi (Mumbai). Rhenus is also proud to introduce their very own building, Rhenus Tower, located at the centre of the logistics hub in Mumbai-Andheri. The new storage solutions include a heavy-duty selective pallet racking system for customised storage, shelving systems for smaller / spare parts, an automated vertical lean storage system for the safe and optimised storage of products as well as temperature-controlled / cold-room storage facilities. The brand-new warehouse in Bhiwandi (Mumbai) opens on 301,000 square feet, with 32,000 pallet positions with a load capacity of 1.1 tons per pallet, and houses 20 docks. The upcoming multi-user chemical warehouse in Jamalpur (Gurugram) is equipped to handle 18,000 pallet positions with a load capacity of 1.1 tons per pallet and houses 19 docks with top-of-the-class infrastructure, such as automated roller shutters and hydraulic dock levelers. It also exclusively provides block space for flammable chemicals. These facilities have received operation approval from the Chief Controller of Explosives (CCoE) and the Pollution Control Board. Dedicated fire detection and management facilities and a 24/7 CCTV monitoring system provide customers with peace of mind for their cargo.

Warehousing Association of India (WAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO), a real estate body that works under the aegis of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, to address construction and land-related difficulties that warehousing developers often face. Aside of addressing construction and land-related difficulties that warehousing developers confront, the MoU also endeavours to resolve regulatory obstacles. The realtors’ body and warehousing developers will look to collaborate to address issues concerning regulators, licensees, permits, approvals and operation of warehousing and logistics businesses, Naredco said in a statement. The partnership will also look to create guidelines for running warehouses efficiently, effectively, and ethically.

The Union government is planning to make registration of all warehouses with a federal regulator mandatory by amending Warehousing Development and Regulation Act 2007, a move that will enable authorities to track food stocks and quantities of various farm commodities stored by traders and farmers across the country in real-time through an online database. Currently, registration of any private warehouse or silo stocking farm produce is optional and these are not required to reveal their stocks. Therefore, there is much opacity about quantities of food stocks in the country. This often helps market players to gouge prices during periods of scarcity, and the government has no way of estimating how much quantities are locally available to take effective anti-inflation measures, the reports added. As per the reports, the government is in the process of finalising an amendment and once an amendment is passed by Parliament, any person desirous of commencing or carrying on the warehousing business issuing warehouse receipts shall make an application to the authority. 

Kuehne+Nagel Ireland will open a temperature-controlled facility to meet the growing demands of the country’s thriving healthcare industry. The site, scheduled to open in late July 2022, is strategically located near the Dublin airport and Dublin port. Along with three existing healthcare warehouses, it expands Kuehne+Nagel’s healthcare footprint in Ireland to 40,000 sqm.  The new HPRA-approved facility has been optimised for all storage, distribution, and quality activities. The facility uses energy-efficient equipment to maintain the warehouse at a controlled temperature between 15-25 degrees Celsius, and will house 34,000 Euro-pallet positions with segregated loading and unloading gates. Pamela Quinn, Managing Director of Kuehne+Nagel Ireland, stated in an official statement, “Pharma & Healthcare companies in Ireland are at the forefront of the research and development of advanced treatments and therapies. This new facility enables Kuehne+Nagel to support the incredible progress and we are proud to be the partners for some of the largest multinationals and companies within this industry”.

There is a push for creation of new world-class warehouses with fresh texture and infrastructure in the country. Hopefully, with the right policy framework, involvement of the stakeholders, and the central government’s support, we should be able to have advanced and robust warehousing system in the country,” said Amril Lal Meena, Special Secretary (Logistics), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) at National Conference on Warehousing Leasing, Investment & Development organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce And Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in New Delhi. The conference also focused on automation in warehousing and other key factors, which have fuelled the demand for warehousing spaces across the country, especially in tier II and tier III cities. 

Focusing on Warehousing Leasing, Investment & Development, ASSOCHAM will organise a National Conference on 21 July 2022 at Hotel Le Meridien in New Delhi. The conference will aim on the recent developments in India warehousing space. “India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world with promising business opportunities. The Government of India has taken various proactive and business conducive initiatives in the country. Backed by the expansion in the manufacturing sector and private and foreign investments, warehousing demand in India is on the rise. Investors from across the world are looking towards India as their preferred investment destination and warehousing a preferred segment of investment,” said a statement from ASSOCHAM.  

To boost efficiency for cross-border e-commerce, Alibaba logistics arm, Cainiao Network has expanded its direct flight network from China to Malaysia. A direct flight will take off from south China’s Shenzhen (to Kuala Lumpur), three times a week, adding to the five weekly freight trips from Hangzhou to Kuala Lumpur in operation, a release stated. Transit times will fall by 24 to 48 hours, according to Cainiao. “Our clients will have access to easier and faster order placement, bulk order management, and will be able to track the delivery progress with the service we offer,” said Kenny Wu, senior logistics director overseeing Cainiao’s global supply chain. Cainiao opened its smart logistics hub, dubbed “eHub”, near Kuala Lumpur Airport last November. The logistics hub comprises a warehouse, an airfreight area and a sorting centre. 

ST Engineering and Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) announced the redelivery of the head of version Airbus A320 Passenger-to-Freighter (A320P2F) aircraft to launch customer Vaayu Group (Vaayu) at ST Engineering’s airframe facility in Singapore. “The A320P2F aircraft is owned by the aviation asset management business of ST Engineering, and is the first of several converted freighter aircraft that will be leased to Vaayu,” as per a release from ST Engineering. The redelivery marks the birth of the world’s first A320P2F and completion of the Airbus P2F family developed jointly by ST Engineering, Airbus and EFW, the statement added. “It joins the already operational Airbus P2F platforms – the A330-300P2F, A330-200P2F and A321P2F, which were first redelivered in 2017, 2018 and 2020, respectively. 

Safexpress has launched its 70th Logistics Park in Uttarakhand. This facility is located on SIDCUL Bypass Road, near NH-334. Senior dignitaries from Safexpress were present to launch the Safexpress Logistics Park at Haridwar, Uttarakhand.  The new Logistics Park is cross-dock, equipped with loading and unloading of over 30 vehicles simultaneously. It has a column-less span of over 80 feet, which facilitates uninterrupted movement of goods within the facility. To enable all-weather loading and unloading of goods, the facility is equipped with 16 feet wide Cantilever Shed. The Logistics facility has the required firefighting equipment and trained manpower to deal with such emergencies. This facility is a mix of nature-friendly initiatives and technology. The facility is equipped with an integrated rainwater harvesting system, a dedicated green zone and will use sunlight to conserve energy. Operations at the facility are streamlined ensuring the country’s fastest transit-time from Uttarakhand to all destinations across India.