In the wake of keen interest showed by the investors and investments worth several hundred billion rupees being in the pipeline, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh has issued directions for further strengthening of the investor-friendly industrial ecosystem and for building a robust logistics infrastructure in the state. The state government has nominated Additional Chief Secretary (Infrastructure & Industrial Development) Alok Kumar as state nodal officer for developing the integrated state logistics plan aimed at overall development of logistics sector. Kumar will head a newly created state logistics cell to function in sync with national logistics division for development of supply chains and warehousing facilities for industries. The officials of state government departments like Planning, Transport, Civil Aviation, Revenue, PWD, Export Promotion Bureau, UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will be the key members on board, and nodal officers from Central agencies like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), etc. will be special invitees to the cell. The state government will also set up a state logistics coordination committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to monitor the progress and implementation of the logistics plan. Uttar Pradesh is attracting sizeable investments in warehousing & logistics sector, so far, total 6 proposals worth approximately Rs 438 Crores have been received in the sector.

TIACA, together with Pharma.Aero released a special report for air cargo, pharmaceuticals and life sciences professionals detailing the requirements and airfreight preparedness for COVID-19 vaccines transportation. The Sunrays project report shows that 46 per cent of air cargo industry stakeholders, including airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers, airport operators and IT solution providers, now feel well prepared for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines, a significant increase compared to only 28 per cent feeling ready two months ago. Although the improvement is seen across the whole industry, ground handlers, who were the least prepared in September, reported the strongest jump in preparedness. “Industry has clearly stepped up its efforts to get ready for the largest logistics effort ever seen and with 79% feeling more prepared than 3 months ago, we applaud the readiness progress the air cargo community has made,” stated Nathan De Valck, Chairman of Pharma.Aero’s Board of Directors and member of the Sunrays project. “It is very encouraging to see that the majority of our industry has established working relationships with vaccine manufacturers, dedicated teams in place and collaborates with their supply chain partners to handle the logistics of COVID-19 vaccines.” The report also examines currently known requirements for COVID-19 vaccine logistics for the front runner manufacturers such as AstraZeneca and University of Oxford, Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, GSK and Sanofi, J&J, as well as the procurement and logistics strategies by individual countries and international bodies, like the EU and COVAX, and locations of vaccine trials and production. Areas of Priority “Although the air cargo industry has scaled up its capabilities, collaboration and readiness in the past couple of months, and COVID-19 vaccines are getting approved for wide distribution, we …

Shell Aviation has announced an agreement to supply DHL Express with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Schiphol Airport. The deal sees DHL Express become the first customer to be supplied under Shell and Neste’s SAF supply agreement, announced in September 2020. The agreement will enable DHL Express to take regular flights using SAF, an important step forward in its ambition of reducing all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050. The volume of SAF being supplied by Shell Aviation represents a full year of DHL Express’s fuel requirements from Schiphol Airport, helping to reduce its emissions from this European hub. The SAF will be used in blended form and is made from sustainably sourced, renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form and over the lifecycle it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to fossil jet fuels. This deal demonstrates the contribution that business can play in decarbonising aviation through the cargo sector. Alongside commercial airlines, cargo operators can play an important role in driving demand signals for the increased investment in and use of SAF. This has been particularly pertinent during the Covid-19 pandemic, with commercial airlines operating at a reduced capacity and cargo operators transporting vital supplies around the world. “We’re proud to be working with DHL Express and supporting them in taking the next step in their decarbonisation journey. Today’s agreement is an excellent example of how the cargo aviation sector can help accelerate aviation’s pathway to net-zero emissions by building demand as the fuel industry seeks to increase supply of SAF,” said Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation. DHL have committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050 and as a pioneer of green …

Mumbai CSC Pharma Excellence Centre has become the first air cargo handler in India to receive CEIV IATA Pharma certification for its Pharma Excellence Centre. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has awarded CSC Pharma Excellence Centre with CEIV IATA Pharma Certification. The CEIV IATA Pharma standards guarantee air freight customers the highest quality and temperature control standards for the transportation of sensitive life science products. Demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to quality in every aspect of their service and to be a vital partner of the healthcare supply chain, CSC Pharma Excellence Center has also been certified as GDP Compliant. Global Distribution Practice (GDP) is the highest quality certification for the distribution practice of life science products. Internationally accepted pharmaceutical GDP regulations stipulate that distributors of pharmaceutical products must align their operations with these standards. Further Mumbai CSC Cold Chain Solution has received the prestigious CII SCALE Award 2020, consecutively in the fourth year, for the best practice and the best Infrastructure within the cold chain solution. The facility features temperature-controlled storage areas for pharmaceuticals with different temperature zones, mainly +15 to +25 and +2 to +8 degrees Celsius which are electronically monitored. To understand and pre-empt temperature fluctuations, alarm systems have been installed. The Mumbai CSC Pharma Excellence Centre has now started using Cool dolly for continuous cold chain solution for a seamless transport on the tarmac till the products are loaded on to the aircraft. Tushar Jani, Chairman, CSC group states, “These are the timely accreditation received by Mumbai CSC Cold Chain Solution for the movement of life science products and especially the need of the hour for the COVID-19 vaccine. Mumbai CSC Pharma Excellence Centre is already …

In order to address the inadequacies of capacity constraints and improve its modal share in total freight ecosystem of the country, Indian Railways has issued draft National Rail Plan. “A long-term strategic plan called the National Rail Plan has been developed to plan infrastructural capacity enhancement along with strategies to increase modal share of the Railways. The National Rail Plan will be a common platform for all future infrastructural, business and financial planning of the Railways. This plan is being circulated among various Ministries for their views now. Railways aim to finalise the final plan by January 2021,” said Ministry of Railways in an official release. The aim is to create capacity ahead of demand by 2030, which in turn would cater to growth in demand right up to 2050 and also increase the modal share of Railways from 27 per cent currently to 45 per cent in freight by 2030 as part of a national commitment to reduce carbon emission and to continue to sustain it. Net zero carbon emission by 2030. The objective of the plan is: • To assess the actual demand in freight and passenger sectors, a yearlong survey was conducted over 100 representative locations by survey teams spread all over the country. • Forecast growth of traffic in both freight and passenger year on year up to 2030 and on a decadal basis up to 2050. Formulate strategies based on both operational capacities and commercial policy initiatives to increase modal share of the Railways in freight to 45% by 2030. • Reduce transit time of freight substantially by increasing average speed of freight trains from present 22 Kmph to 50 Kmph. • Reduce overall cost …

Swiss WorldCargo has prepared for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, for the past six months. Beginning in summer 2020, the company set up an internal task force to analyse the potential for shipping COVID-19 vaccines throughout the world. The task force, comprised of team members from different divisions, has closely analysed how Swiss WorldCargo’s aircraft, network and capacity to and from Switzerland, can best support these global shipments. Recently, the company has successfully carried out first shipments. These have proven that the company can handle complex regulatory and customer necessities, including temperature, cold-chain and timing requirements. As a leading carrier of pharmaceutical and care-intensive goods, Swiss WorldCargo has a rich history of successful and speedy delivery of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines. This long-standing expertise is based on its well-trained staff, as well as the strengths of its hub and ground handling partners. Swiss WorldCargo’s organization is CEIV Pharma-certified. Swiss WorldCargo’s hub in Zurich, operated by Cargologic, is IATA CEIV Pharma-certified and Swissmedic GDP-compliant, as recognized by the Swiss authorities. “The next few months present a significant challenge for the entire air cargo and logistics industry,” said Christian Wyss, Head of Quality & Services at Swiss WorldCargo, and leader of the Swiss WorldCargo Vaccine Transport task force. “However, based on our extensive experience carrying out complex pharmaceutical shipments, Swiss WorldCargo is well-positioned to help ship COVID-19 vaccines, to, from and through Switzerland to a variety of global destinations.” Swiss WorldCargo is continuing to closely monitor the regulatory approval process for all COVID-19 vaccines, and is ready to carry out shipments in the coming weeks and months.

Women International Shipping and Trading Association, India has successfully completed its eight constructive and successful years. The association for women in managerial roles in the maritime sector was launched in India in 2012 by Founder Members Sanjam Sahi Gupta and Sumi Sahi Dutt, Directors of Sitara Shipping. WISTA India has achieved many milestones by focusing on providing a platform for networking, sharing of knowledge, education through workshops/seminars and mentoring of young members to enhance their competence and empower their career success. To encourage and recognize its’ members’ achievements, WISTA India holds the ‘WISTA Personality of the Year Award’ each year. Over the years, WISTA has held events for its members that include visits to ports and container freight stations, opportunities to attend overseas conferences, seminars on current industry topics, and training programs for members’ professional development. Commenting on the 8th Anniversary, Summiit Cheema, President, WISTA India says, “We at WISTA, India have consistently kept member care as our ethos and post pandemic we feel the need to further strengthen this quality about the association. She also mentioned that bearing in mind the pandemic situation, WISTA, India had a lot of events and initiatives around wellness, be it physical fitness or mental health. She further added that “our founder member Sanjam Sahi Gupta delivered a very successful Maritime SheEO conference on “Diversity and Sustainability” on 23rd November 2020 that surpassed all barriers of geography, time zones and cultures”. WISTA is driven by the core values of Gender Diversity and Equality and looking ahead WISTA India with the support of Maritime SheEO plans on making this a reality. Founder Member and President Emeritus Sanjam has been a driving force for gender equality …

Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) has announced the findings of its industry performance review for the first half of fiscal 2020-21. The turnover of the automotive component industry stood at Rs.1.19 lakh crore (USD 15.9 billion) for the period April 2020 to September 2020, registering a de-growth of 34 per cent over the first half of the previous year. Commenting on the performance of the auto component industry in India, Vinnie Mehta, Director General, ACMA says, “The auto industry witnessed a downturn in FY2019-20, the situation further aggravated with the outbreak of the pandemic and the lockdown. While the first quarter for FY20-21 was significantly stressed, however with unlocking of the economy, the sales of vehicles witnessed improvement, month-on-month, in the second quarter. The component industry, in tandem, posted a subdued performance with de-growth of 34 per cent over the first half of the last fiscal, registering a turnover of Rs.1.19 lakh crore (US$ 15.9 billion). However, for the first time ever, the industry witnessed a trade surplus with Auto Component exports at Rs 39,003 crore (US$ 5.2 billion) and imports at Rs.37,710 crore (USD 5.0 billion); both exports and imports declined by 23.6 per cent and 32.7 per cent respectively. The aftermarket estimated at Rs 31,116 crore, also witnessed de-growth of 15 per cent. Component sales to OEMs in the domestic market contracted the most to Rs.87120 crore (US$ 11.6 billion), declining 42 per cent”. Sharing his insights on the performance of the auto component industry, Deepak Jain, President, ACMA said, “In the backdrop of the pandemic and the lockdown, the automotive industry faced unprecedented challenges in the first-half of FY 2020-21. The auto component industry, through …

Amid an increasing demand for quick deliveries by online customers, Pune-based FM Logistic India is looking to set up intra-city warehousing units across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, including by converting some abandoned mills into such facilities. The company is in discussion with a closed mill owner in Mumbai, while exploring the possibility of such projects in Delhi and Bengaluru. However, along with this, FM Logistic is also open to set up completely new intra-city warehousing facilities as well, informs Alexandre Amine Soufiani, Managing Director, FM Logistic India. “In the post-COVID-19 scenario, having an intra-city warehousing facility is a must to be able to deliver the goods to the end-customer within hours of placement of an order. But, the land in the cities is costly. We are scouting for warehousing facilities inside the cities of Mumbai and Delhi to either build new multi-story warehouses or to refurbish abandoned cotton mills in Mumbai within the city,” he adds. He said he has to partner with e-commerce and other omni-channel retail companies and offer them multi-customer facilities with intra-city warehouses. FM Logistic India has presence in over 90 locations, and it provides warehousing and distribution logistics services for the FMCG, retail, automotive, e-commerce, engineering, telecom, pharma and other sectors. Soufiani said Mumbai has many closed mills and the company was thinking of partnering with owners of those mills and transforming them into intra-city warehousing. “In Mumbai, we are in talks with one of the mill owners, we are carrying out due diligence and looking at how we can make it safety-compliant, as we do not want to compromise on the safety aspects at all,” he said. He further explains that there are two …

Responding to November 2020 export figures, Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, FIEO, says that the monthly exports have shown a single-digit negative growth of 8.74 per cent with US$ 23.52 billion due to supply side disruptions including restricted container movement and declining petroleum exports due to its crashing prices. Besides, farmers agitation in some of the hinterland states have also affected exports during the month. Exports have been seeing signs of revival as order booking position has continuously improved and more new orders are in the offing. Saraf reiterated that the forecast of the arrival of the Covid-19 Pandemic vaccine along with gradual lifting of lockdown across the country and the globe has also helped in boosting the business sentiments for the sector as a whole, which can be expected to be seen from the positive figures of the upcoming months. Going by this trend, we expect to end the financial 2020-21 with an overall merchandise exports of about US$290 billion, adds FIEO President. Exporters have continuously been receiving a lot of enquiries and orders further adding to the positive sentiments with signals of further resilience in the global supply chain. However, the litmus test for the traditional sectors of our exports would be the Christmas and New year sale. If that goes well, the inventory will be liquidated, adding to further demand, observed Saraf. FIEO Chief said that the exports of other cereals along with oil meals, iron-ore, rice, ceramic products and glassware, handicrafts excluding hand-made carpet, cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed item, carpet, jute mfg. including floor covering, spices, drugs and pharmaceuticals, tobacco, cotton yarn/fabrics/made-ups, handloom products etc., fruits and vegetables, tea, gems and jewellery, mica, coal and other …