Category Archives: Warehousing

At the recently held ANUTECH 2023, at Mumbai on 7th September, Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Association of India emphasized the need for technology based infrastructure to operate cold chain services across the country. Panelists mentioned how starting from warehousing, to transportation, and distribution, automation of techniques should be prioritised and implemented in the industry to harness the immense potential of the cold chain industry in India. Dr. Nirav Thakker, Executive Committee Member, FFFAI, was also Moderator of the session, and emphasised India’s prospect of 14.37 per cent CAGR in the next five years. Other panelists who participated in the event were Mr. P.A. Bamane, Assistant Manager APEDA; Dr. Karuna Dhale, Assistant Director (Tech), FSSAI, and Ms. Chaitaly Mehta, Director, EKF Logistics. FFAI Chairman, Mr. Shankar Shinde, also spoke at the event, and mentioned that FFFAI is working in close cooperation with the government, using contemporary technology solutions for the cold chain system in the country to have world-class efficiency. As the world’s leading information and procurement platform, ANUTECH combines all such technological solutions along the entire value chain, that includes all sectors of the food and beverage industry, and this international event offered all cross-process future technologies for the same.

D P World has launched its state-of-the-art 3,80,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Bhiwandi, in Maharashtra’s Thane district. The facility is fully compliant for the storage and handling of chemicals along with non-chemicals and has commenced operations effective September 1, 2023. This new facility elevates DP World’s warehousing capability to 5+ million sq. ft. of warehousing space PAN India. A partition divides the entire warehouse into two sections. One spans 1,90,000 sq. ft. and is specially designed for hazardous chemical storage, complete with heavy-duty G+8 level racking and state-of-the-art very early smoke detection apparatus (VESDA). This adaptable section offers an impressive capacity of 20,000 pallet positions for the normal temperature zone, along with an additional 1,000 pallet positions for the 20 to 25-degree temperature-controlled area, which can be further expanded when needed. The second section covers 1,50,000 sq. ft. and is dedicated to non-chemical storage. Additionally, the warehouse includes a 40,000 sq. ft. separate area featuring two distinct cold storage rooms. The new facility provides comprehensive safety features throughout the premises. This also includes a Chill temperature-controlled area, maintained at 20° to 25°C, for Pharma, Food Reagents, etc. Additionally, there are fireproof partitions, a dedicated firewater system, a spill containment pit, and Rockwool insulation on the roof. To enhance air quality and promote employee well-being, the facility utilizes High-Volume Low-Speed Fans (HVLS) for efficient air circulation. Furthermore, as a sustainability initiative, the facility is equipped with a solar system. The facility’s two-sided Docking system reduces the picking path whereas a Safety Lifeline system ensures driver safety while removing tarpaulin from trucks. The facility also features an extended canopy area of over 5 meters, ensuring smooth loading and unloading of vehicles across …

Prozo has opened its cold storage facility at Krishnapatnam, Tamil Nadu. It is strategically located near major seafood hubs in the East Coast region of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The increased demand for tech-driven seafood cold storage facilities comes with the growth of the food and allied businesses. Prozo’s new facility is located at Krishnapatnam, ~25 kms from nearest Highway NH16. It is 30 km from Nellore, 115 km from Sri City, 170 kms from Chennai, and 700 km from Vizag. The cold-storage facility spans over 30,000 sq. ft. with a clear height of 39.8 ft and is compliant with all safety and security norms. Designed for seafood, the facility maintains temperatures at minus 20 degrees Celsius. It has 10 chambers, each with a storage capability of 280 pallets in G+4 heavy duty racking. Prozo focuses on leveraging technology and best in class operations capability to provide end-to-end, integrated supply chain solutions. The company oversees supply chains for 100+ enterprises, including leading ecommerce players. The fulfillment network spans 30 centers across 12 Indian locations, covering 1.5 million sq. ft.

Welspun One is set to redefine urban last-mile delivery with the introduction of its Grade-A, in-city warehousing anchored mixed-use development in Thane (MMR). This marks the first deployment of Welspun One Logistics Parks Fund 2, a category II AIF vehicle which has secured commitments of INR 1500 Cr. out of a target raise of INR 2000 Cr. to date. The in-city facility is expected to bridge the gap between escalating demand from the booming e-commerce, quick commerce and rapid-delivery-services sectors and the availability of good quality logistics infrastructure located in close proximity to existing and upcoming residential and commercial hubs. Not only is there a dearth of existing options, but existing options are also typically unorganized, make-shift, inefficient and often non-compliant. There is a significant demand for purpose-built facilities which enable high throughput, efficient operations, and are also in compliance with building code and safety norms. As per research estimates, the in-city warehousing demand pan-India is expected to exceed 90 million square feet over the next 4-5 years.

Aurionpro ToshiAutomatic Systems was honored with ‘Best Warehouse Doors and Dock Levellers Company’ award at 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.

Shiprocket expands its warehousing footprint with the opening of three new facilities in Mumbai, Bangalore and Gurugram as it looks to enhance capacity by about 50 per cent by this fiscal. The addition of these warehousing facilities will augment the total capacity by 4.3 lakh square feet, the company said. Besides, it will help in ensuring a seamless and efficient operation for the company’s over 2.5 lakh merchants, it said. The company, however, did not disclose any financial details . The Shiprocket Fulfillment platform offers tech-driven warehousing solution for retail and e-commerce brands with over 42 facilities across India. “By strategically expanding our footprint, we aim to offer our merchants economical tech-enabled solutions and the ability to reach their customers faster,” said Gautam Kapoor, Co-Founder of Shiprocket Fulfillment. The launch of these facilities is a step forward in Shiprocket’s aim of expanding nationally its footprint to approximately 3-million sq ft by the end of FY24 from 2-million sq ft at present, the platform said. The warehouses are designed to accommodate both B2C and B2B operations, in compliance with FSSAI and marketplace standards, it stated.

Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GHIAL says, “Manufacturing companies are focusing on the China +1 strategy and India’s ‘Make in India’ will be an opportunity to increase its shares of global manufacturing especially technology-related manufacturing by friendly countries. This will immensely benefit the air cargo business in India. New policies and initiatives being implemented by the Government aim to enhance competitiveness, streamline procedures, provide financial assistance, and expand market access for Indian exporters. Export Promotion Schemes, Make-In-India Initiatives, Foreign Trade Policies such as Free trade agreements (FTAs) & preferential trade agreements (PTAs), Single Window Interface for Facilitating Trade (SWIFT), and Export promotion councils are trying to support and promote Indian exports.”

Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI), a unit of Morgan Stanley, has partnered with Mumbai-based Prakhhyat Group, to develop a 0.7 million square feet Class A warehousing project at K Square Logistics Park in Bhiwandi near Mumbai. According to sources, it is investing Rs 300 crore in Prakhhyat which will develop the warehousing space. This marks MSREI’s entry in the Bhiwandi sub-market of Mumbai. With this, MSREI has now invested in over 5.6 million square feet of logistics assets across the country, it said.

The warehousing and industrial sector of India is expected to expand up to 516 million sq. ft by 2026, states research firm, JLL’s H1 2023 India: Logistics and Industrial State of the Nation study. Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are the major contributors to this expansion, while the top three cities in terms of demand are Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi NCR. For net absorption or new leases, the top eight cities in the country consisted of 15 million sq. ft., and third-party logistics operators made up for 43% of the demand in their leasing market. That marked a notable increase from the previous year where it was for 35% in H1 2022. Meanwhile, the lease share of the FMCG and retail industry went down to 15% in the current year from 23% in 2022. A similar decrease was also seen in India’s gross absorption, including renewals and churnings, which fell to 20 million sq. ft. in 2023 from 23 million sq. ft. last year.

To cater to rising demand, led by improved connectivity and government’s supportive policies, IndoSpace is planning to deploy over $1 billion to acquire new warehousing and logistics assets across India over the next two-three years, said reports. The joint venture between Everstone, Singapore-headquartered logistics facilities provider GLP and industrial real estate firm Realterm, will also be developing additional 30 million sq ft warehousing properties in the country, the reports added. “With the improved connectivity and recent government initiatives, we believe that modern, large, best-in-class logistics and grade A industrial warehousing facilities will continue to be in demand. The booming e-commerce sector and evolving consumption patterns are driving demand for modern logistics and quality warehousing facilities,” Rajesh Jaggi, Vice Chairman-Real Estate, Everstone Group was quoted as saying in reports.