Explaining the importance of exports in GDP growth, Sharad Kumar Sharaf, President, FIEO, says, “No country has ever achieved a GDP growth of 8% or more on sustained basis without double digit growth in exports. All those years in which India exhibited 8% plus GDP growth were the year when exports also clocked 15% or more. Therefore, vibrant exports are extremely important for us as we move towards a US$ 5 trillion economy with exports contributing to US$ 1 trillion.” While demand side should be taken care by the exporters, government plays an important role in imparting competitiveness to exports particularly addressing the supply side issues. Covid-19 has accentuated the supply side challenges with abnormal hike in freight rate, containers unavailability and frequent shutouts by the shipping companies. Government did encourage the shipping companies to bring empty containers and provided free movement of such containers from gateway port to ICDs/CFSs, the problem still continues. As global economy moves towards normalcy, we expect the situation to ease out. However, as a medium-term strategy, we should start manufacturing containers so as to manage the short supply particularly the mismatch between imports and exports as we move towards our goal of self-sufficiency. Global trade has recovered remarkably well. The decline in Q3 and Q4 compressed to 4.5% and 3% respectively as against a whopping downfall of 19.5% in Q2 of 2020. The overall contraction in global trade is expected between 7- 8% which is much better than the best forecast given by WTO at minus 13% for 2020.

Stressing on the importance of well-designed supply chain in the industry, Rajiv Singh, Managing Director – India, cargo-partner, notes, “The COVID-19 situation clearly showed that it is very important to be close to the market and have strong relationships with strategic partners: airlines, trucking companies, manufacturers of temperature-controlled packaging. We as cargo-partner observe the market very closely and prioritise close collaboration with all parties involved in the supply chain. As a global company, we also benefit from the cooperation between our offices around the world, including our network of Pharma Competence Centers – from Mumbai to Vienna. It has become clear how important well-designed supply chains are and how vulnerable companies are if they underestimate this issue. Beside assets and equipment readiness, contingency planning has also become much more significant. On some trade lanes, ‘Space is Gold’ and we have gone from buyers’ to a sellers’ market in many areas.”

Agility has released the 12th Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index. Asia-Pacific nations lead all emerging market regions with China, India and Indonesia being the world’s top emerging markets. The Index ranks 50 countries by factors that make them attractive to logistics providers, freight forwarders, shipping lines, air cargo carriers and distributors. Among ASEAN countries, Vietnam climbs three spots to No. 8 overall. Indonesia (3), Malaysia (5) and Thailand (11) are strong; the Philippines rises one spot to No. 21. China and Vietnam were virtually alone in the world in 2020, posting positive GDP growth for the year after being hit early by economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Early 2020 supply disruptions in China prompted some to question whether it would experience an exodus of manufacturing by multi-nationals seeking to diversify sourcing and production. But the 1,200 logistics industry executives surveyed for Agility’s Index indicate little desire to uproot from China or other markets, preferring by a two-to-one margin to protect their supply chains by accelerating adoption of digital tools and technology (41.3%) as opposed to pursuing multi-shoring, near-shoring or reshoring strategies (21.9%). Of those who would consider moving out of China, more respondents chose Vietnam as a preferred production hub than any other country (19.6%). Other Asian markets – India (17.4%), Indonesia (12.4%), Thailand (10.3%) and Malaysia – are the next leading choices. Only 7.8% of industry executives say relocating production from China would mean reshoring to their home countries. Asia-Pacific is the region that more respondents believe will recover from the global pandemic by the end of 2021. Of those surveyed, 55.9% predict an Asia-Pacific economic recovery in 2021; 53.1% believe Europe will rebound. “Asia Pacific experienced great …

DB Schenker sets a strong signal in his European Network and invests 10 million euro in a new logistic center in Shannon. This investment is a powerful commitment from the global logistics service provider to continued expansion in the western region of Ireland. “This investment demonstrates DB Schenker’s commitment to Ireland and it also reflects the strong growth that DB Schenker has achieved with large multinational companies over the last few years,” says Ray Hennessy, CEO of DB Schenker in UK & Ireland. “Shannon has been a high-performing location for us for many years. We have strong confidence in the Mid-West Region, and the additional capacity that this building creates will allow us to expand our customer base and offer additional employment opportunities in the area. We look forward to seeing the building completed and operational within 12 months.” The new site is located close to Shannon Airport (SNN) and has direct access to the local highway network, thus providing swift access to the western corridor of Ireland. The site will offer customers all services, including air and ocean freight, land transport, and value-added logistics solutions. The new building will have an area of 4,831 square meters in total. This will include a warehouse with an area of 3,716 square meters. The clearance height will be 12.5 meters. The site will be TAPA A-certified in terms of security, including secure fencing, full CCTV coverage, access control throughout, an intruder alarm system, remote monitoring, etc. The facility, once completed, will also comply with DB Schenker’s certifications for quality (ISO 9001), environmental protection (ISO 14001), and health and safety (ISO 45001). The warehouse will be heated and will allow temperature control in …

Strengthening the vaccine cold chain further, Godrej & Boyce has launched the state-of-the-art ultra-low temperature freezers to preserve life-saving medical supplies including critical vaccines below -80°C and are aimed at boosting both Indian and global medical cold chain. Godrej Appliances is currently deploying vaccine refrigerators which maintain a precise temperature of 2 to 8°C to store the highly temperature sensitive Covaxin and CoviShield vaccines being administered in India, as part of the national tender it received in October 2020. Medical Freezers which maintain -20°C are also being deployed for diluents and ice packs needed for the last mile delivery in the Covid vaccination drive. The vaccines run the risk of damage if they are subjected to fluctuations beyond the specified temperature band, leading to both health and economic implications. The ultra-low temperature freezers are a new addition to this portfolio and are particularly suited to mRNA based vaccines which are being deployed in other countries currently. The mRNA-based Covid 19 vaccines are extremely temperature-sensitive as well and must be stored at very cold temperatures. mRNA is constantly at risk of being destroyed by other molecules in the environment. Although manufacturers of the vaccines have made chemical changes to the synthetic mRNA and wrapped it in a protective layer, they need to be stored at temperatures as low as below -80°C, to prevent wastage of vaccines, which has a direct implication on human health. Hence, any wastage or inefficiency in the vaccination process due to logistical issues related to cold chain must be avoided. The operating principle for the Godrej Ultra Low Temperature freezer is a cascading system having a PHE (Plate heat exchanger) as a heat exchanger between the primary …

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) has announced its operational and financial performance for the third quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2020. APSEZ acquired Krishnapatnam Port in October, 2020, which is now consolidated, hence the financial numbers of Q3 FY21 are not comparable to Q3 FY20. In Q3 FY21, Krishnapatnam Port handled a cargo volume of 10 MMT. Revenue and EBIDTA in Q3 FY21 was Rs.473 crore. and Rs.336 crore. with an EBIDTA margin of 71%. The total operating revenue grew by 12% from Rs 3,336 crore. in Q3 FY20 to Rs 3,746 crore. in Q3 FY21. Port revenue has increased by 35% and revenue from logistics business increased by 8%. Increased cargo volume and balanced cargo mix enabled Port EBITDA to grow by 38% from Rs 1,705 crore. in Q3 FY20 to Rs 2,351 cr. in Q3 FY21. Port EBITDA margin for Q3 FY21 increased by 140 bps to 71.7 per cent. Logistics business has reported an EBIDTA of Rs 67 crore in Q3 FY21 compared to Rs 58 crore in Q3 FY20 an increase of 16 per cent. Operational Highlights: – Q3 FY21 (Y o Y) • Ports across all three regions registered strong growth western ports grew by 25% and eastern ports grew by 10%. • Mundra port registered a growth of 25% during the quarter led by container and liquid cargo including crude. While container grew by 38%, liquid cargo including crude grew by 22%. • Mundra port continues to be the largest container handling port in India for the third consecutive quarters and has handled 1.59 Mn TEUs during the quarter. • Mundra port handled 213,000 MT of LPG and 567,000 …

DHL Global Forwarding has recently re-certified its air freight station in Singapore with the IATA CEIV Pharma Standard for another year. The IATA CEIV Pharma Standard, run by International Air Transport Association (IATA), is designed to ensure compliance, standardisation, accountability and transparency across the air transport supply chain. “Singapore is the latest in our Asia Pacific network, along with Japan and China, to receive the IATA CEIV Pharma re-certification. This is especially timely as several countries try to secure Covid-19 vaccines to put a halt to the economic and social impact of the pandemic,” said Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific. “As our teams continue to work closely with our customers to deliver these vaccines, we appreciate that the accreditation is not only a quality mark of our service and network, but is equally a recognition of the hard work and dedication of our LSH specialists who work seamlessly across the world to deliver best-in-class logistics services to our customers,” he added. DHL has been actively involved with IATA’s continuous efforts to adequately answer to the regulatory demands of the pharmaceutical industry. At each location, IATA examines and compares the station’s correspondence to its Temperature Control Regulations (TCR) as well as GDP (Good Distribution Practices) guidelines from the European Union, World Health Organization and other regulatory bodies. “As the freight forwarder that was involved with bringing in Singapore’s first batch of Covid-19 vaccines, DHL Global Forwarding places a huge emphasis on delivering the highest supply chain standards for our LSH customers. The re-certification of the IATA CEIV Pharma on a corporate level and for our air freight station at Changi Airport stands testament to our commitment to support …

Explaining how to ensure continuity of pharmaceuticals supply worldwide, Sanjiv Gupta, CEO, SpiceXpress, says, “The entire COVID-19 vaccination effort cannot be undertaken without all stakeholders putting in their bit. Government agencies, ministries, handling agencies, freight forwarders, carriers, and custodians have to work even more closely to deliver the vaccination to the final point of inoculation. This is the time to collaborate with each other to achieve a seamless transportation experience for all rather than transporting in a competitive environment.” “The first two phases of vaccine movement within India and to neighbouring countries in the month of January was done exceptionally well because of a collaborative approach between all the stakeholders. This needs to be repeated for the next phases of vaccine transportation within India. I also see it being replicated for international movement,” he informs.

In achieving excellence in reliable end-to-end air transportation for pharma shippers, innovative and sustainable cold chain packaging solutions is integral. Pharma.Aero has announced three cold chain packaging specialists as new Associate Partners. “The market knowledge and expertise of our three new Associate Partners in terms of their cold chain packaging solutions, service and product offerings will strengthen the entire Pharma.Aero family and further enhance our thought leadership in the pharmaceutical supply chain management,” said Nathan De Valck, Chairman of Pharma.Aero. Niall Balfour, CEO, TOWER Cold Chain Solutions adds, “TOWER are globally recognised as being one of the most innovative providers of reusable cold chain packaging solutions to the Pharmaceutical industry. We are therefore delighted to be accepted as a member of Pharma.Aero which will allow us to further enhance our relationships and collaborate with some of the largest providers within this market.” Ron Haub, Segment Director at Sonoco ThermoSafe, says, “Together with the other key stakeholders in the air cargo supply chain, we look forward to contributing our longstanding technical depth in temperature-controlled packaging to further drive continuous improvement in the pharmaceutical and life sciences air transport ecosystem” Kristian Williams, Regional Sales Director of EMEA at Cold Chain Technologies cited, “As a global leader in the development and delivery of cost-effective insulated thermal packaging solutions, it is imperative that we strive to achieve excellence throughout the temperature-controlled supply chain. Joining Pharma.Aero gives us the platform to effectively collaborate with partners and stakeholders to ensure we continue to meet the specific requirements for transporting lifesaving temperature sensitive products to patients across the globe. The platform for collaboration that is available to the Pharma.Aero members will support the innovation and growth goals …

Agility and its digital innovation arm Shipa has announced the launch of a bonded, express road freight network to connect businesses and consumers across the GCC. The new service provides customers with less-than-truckload (LTL) and full truckload (FTL) options and a fast, cost-effective way to ship packages, pallets or containers of goods with daily departures and scheduled pickups in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Express road freight provided by Agility and Shipa offer parcel tracking throughout the GCC and includes value-added services including temperature-controlled transportation; merge-in-transit; just-in-time delivery; reverse logistics; and control-tower management. It also will help shippers deal with undelivered parcels that must be returned to fulfillment centers. The bonded road freight service is licensed to carry cargo that has not yet been subject to taxes and duties in countries where applicable. “The growth in e-commerce across the GCC has provided an opportunity to better serve customers with cost effective and reliable solutions,” says Henadi Al-Saleh, Agility Chairperson and leader of Agility’s corporate ventures arm. “E-commerce growth has been accelerated by the pandemic, and many companies have been transacting more of their business online. The Shipa-Agility partnership is aimed at helping these companies expand their businesses across the region and tap into new markets.” Elias Monem, CEO for Middle East & Africa, Agility Global Integrated Logistics (GIL), says, “Agility is continuously looking to improve and expand what we offer to clients. This new service allows us to use our bonded and non-bonded infrastructure and our modern road fleet to provide customers with a faster, more cost-effective shipping and delivery.”