With the demand for upgraded skills for port-led development increasing, the JNPT-Antwerp Port Training & Consultancy Foundation has announced an online course in Break Bulk Handling at the training centre. The programme has been devised after extensive consultations with the Ports and the other stakeholders. The aim of this online course is to provide training and expertise to port professionals and share the best practises prevailing at the leading terminals of Port of Antwerp. The online training sessions are led by faculty from APEC, Belgium and the Indian Experts, the sessions will be attended by officers from the Government Ports as well as Private Ports. Commenting on the training program, Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT says, “The participation in this course will help create common understanding of the safety and efficiency standards which will ensure safe and timely cargo handling. We intend to host many such courses after feedback from the private sector and the major ports. We are delighted with our APEC association, who has trained over 14,000 trainees from across 150 countries, since its inception making it the natural choice of Port-related trainings for port officials.”

After a successful pilot phase, PrimaDollar has officially launched its operations in India. With clients already in over 30 countries, the company provides low-cost trade finance to importers and exporters around the world from its headquarters in the UK and network of offices across South and East Asia. It has now opened offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. PrimaDollar is also now starting to partner with banks and logistics platforms to embed this new form of trade finance into their business models – allowing exporters to take finance as they ship their container, rather than having to make a separate call to their local bank in order to arrange separate working capital. The company solves the resulting cash flow gap for the exporter, paying the exporter upfront, taking the buyer credit risk and allowing the buyer to pay later. All of this is done at low cost, without requiring collateral and with simple and clear pricing. It’s unique trade finance products work shipment-by-shipment, without the need for complex multi-period financing agreements or IT integrations. Tim Nicolle, Founder & CEO, Prima Dollar, says, “Trade finance has traditionally been a time-consuming service, involving multiple banks and the many layers of complexity associated with letters of credit. On a global basis, the market is looking for a transactional solution that works shipment-by-shipment, without collateral and at a low cost. That’s what PrimaDollar has pioneered. For the Indian market, this is especially important as Indian exports are rising (by 7% in 2018) whilst bank finance for exports is falling (down 20% by 2018). All of this points to a major funding gap that PrimaDollar’s trade finance products exactly fit.” “After a successful pilot …

In coordination with the ministry, Kuehne+Nagel has developed a comprehensive solution for storage and distribution throughout Germany’s most populous state. The Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia has contracted then logistics provider for the logistics of Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccine doses will be delivered to the state’s central distribution centre operated by Kuehne+Nagel, stored in temperature pods, repackaged in smaller quantities and distributed daily in a quality-assured manner to 53 vaccination centres and other healthcare facilities throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. Detlef Trefzger, CEO, Kuehne + Nagel International AG, says “Kuehne+Nagel has been preparing vaccine logistics solutions intensively for months. We made sure that the vaccine raw materials and auxiliary equipment such as syringes were in the right place; now we ensure that the Covid-19 vaccine is safely distributed from the factory to the end consumer, as in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. We are ready to support other states and countries in their Covid-19 response as well.” Karl-Josef Laumann, Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, says, “Vaccinating millions of people in a state as extensive as North Rhine-Westphalia is a historic task on an unprecedented scale. I am very pleased that the state has been able to secure such an experienced and competent partner for the central storage and distribution of the vaccines.ˮ Over the past months, Kuehne+Nagel has developed a comprehensive solution for the global distribution and storage of Covid-19 vaccines. The basis for this is Kuehne+Nagel’s proven, cross-transportation pharma & healthcare network with over 230 certified locations worldwide in air, sea and road logistics as well as contract logistics.

CEVA Logistics continues to expand its presence in the African market with the strengthening of its presence in two countries through two joint ventures. In Egypt, the company has taken a majority stake in IBA Freight Services, its exclusive partner for the past 20 years. In Ethiopia, CEVA Logistics has taken a minority stake in MACCFA, a long-standing freight forwarder headquartered in Addis Ababa. Both joint ventures are effective immediately and further cement CEVA Logistics’ aim of becoming a leading continent-wide player. Through the new joint ventures, both entities will be able to expand their products base which will help enhance the use of their local logistics services across the CEVA Logistics network. These new enterprises follow CEVA Logistics’ acquisition of a majority stake in AMI Worldwide in the summer of 2020 which added an additional 12 countries to the company’s African network. Furthermore, MACCFA has a long-standing working relationship with CEVA Logistics’ parent company, the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics. Says CEVA Logistics’ Managing Director Turkey, India, Middle East and Africa, Bruno Plantaz, “Our strategic, continent-wide expansion plan continues to gather pace. These two Joint Ventures further consolidate our position in north Africa and the horn of Africa and will enable us to persevere in our intention of supporting its socio-economic emergence across all countries.”

Chowgule Shipyards has announced that it has successfully delivered India’s first vessel in the export market since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The general cargo vessel, named ‘Lady Hedwig’ for Netherlands based client ‘Wijnne & Barends’ is 98.2 m in length Overall, 13.4 m in breadth moulded, 7.8 m in depth and has a draft of 5.6 m. This is the third from a series of six vessels ordered by the client and the shipyard is proud to build Ice Class Swedish Finnish 1A quality vessels for world market, again first of its kind from India. The vessel has sailed today from Goa on her maiden voyage. Commenting on the development, Arjun Chowgule, Executive Director, Chowgule & Company says, “We are proud to be the first in India to achieve this feat since the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team worked relentlessly towards building the vessel before the set timeline and ensured that its delivery is not affected despite the pandemic. In the absence of OEM service engineers due to COVID-19 restrictions, our team performed the tasks of commissioning equipment themselves, supported remotely by OEMs. This achievement reiterates our focus on being a serious player in the international shipbuilding market We will continue to work on delivering such world-class vessels in future too, in line with our Prime Minister’s vision of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.”

Considering the need for a reliable supply chain mechanism for the vaccine distribution, LogiNext has announced the launch of a COVID -19 vaccine supply chain management and tracking platform. Building the digital backbone for a global logistics movement, LogiNext has been at the forefront of the automation technology revolution. During the nascent phases of the pandemic, the company has proactively started working on a solution which is now available for government and healthcare organisations. Dhruvil Sanghvi, Chief Executive Officer of LogiNext said, “We have been working hard for a while now on this vaccine tracking solution including some key features for the cold chain. We’re very proud to launch the first solution to manage a complex supply chain around COVID-19 vaccine from manufacturing facilities all the way till the last mile.” LogiNext Mile is a complete all-mile transportation automation platform which can be used for tech-enabled management of vaccine distribution. The SaaS platform can be deployed for complete visibility and tracking of the vaccine distribution right from the point of origin at the manufacturing units to the last mile. The solution can be used for the entire chain or a part of the solution can be used for: Visibility and tracking: LogiNext Mile gives a real-time dashboard via which managers can keep track of all logistical movement and orchestrate a distribution plan. Demand forecasting and Order scheduling: Operators now have the capability to accurately forecast the needs across the globe according to which orders on the first mile can be triggered. Detailed analytics: LogiNext’s expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities gives its clients (healthcare enterprises, governmental organizations, carriers and 3PLs) an added advantage in the form of detailed …

Roca Parryware has announced the strengthening of business tie-up with TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) by the expansion of their area of operations covering the factories, warehouses and import/export logistics. Roca Parryware roped in TVS SCS to support the Supply Chain operations during the year 2018 and since then both the partners have worked together to delight the vast network of more than 2000 customers across India. Roca Parryware operates in India with 8 manufacturing facilities and 12 warehousing stations. Apart from this the company also exports to over 15 countries including USA, Brazil, Australia, China and many parts of Europe. The company continues to import many containers from several countries to meet the growing demands for global products in India. R. Dinesh, MD, TVS Supply Chain Solutions comments, “We are delighted to further extend our partnership with Roca Parryware in India, cementing on the great relationship we had built over the last 3 years of our association. TVS SCS offers the best-in-class digitally led integrated supply chain solutions. The vast network of dealers of Roca Parryware today are a lot more demanding on SCM. With dynamic demand situation and consumers wanting products in a fast and efficient manner, our systems and processes must be digitally integrated to deliver an elevated experience.” Roca Parryware is one of our key customers in this sector not only in India but also globally. We look forward to continuing our mutually beneficial association and help them grow their business consistently” K.E. Ranganathan, MD, Roca Parryware says, “We are extremely happy with our partnership with TVS Supply Chain Solutions over the last 3 years. TVS SCS has added in good measure to our persistent …

LATAM Airlines Group has announced that it will fly COVID-19 vaccine shipments at no charge on domestic flights in Latin America. The offer is an extension of the airline’s Solidarity Plane program in which the carrier will transport vaccine, when become available, to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The company said it will support distribution of vaccines for free, based on requests from governments. Since August, a team of more than 20 people from LATAM Cargo has been planning transport scenarios for COVID-19 vaccines, which require special temperature-control equipment and processes. LATAM Cargo has stations with pharmaceutical capabilities at 30 locations in Europe, the U.S. and Chile, and four that are waiting to be opened in China. LATAM has a certificate of excellence for meeting pharmaceutical shipping standards from the International Air Transport Association. Roberto Alvo, Group Chief Executive, LATAM Airlines, states, “During this entire global health crisis, we have not spared efforts to collaborate with the communities of the countries where we serve through our Solidarity Plane program. We are excited to announce that LATAM’s domestic operations will be available to support the distribution totally for free, of vaccines according to what the authorities of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru may determine.”

CHAMP Cargosystems, the leading air cargo systems provider, announces its partnership with CargoAi. By connecting their systems through APIs, both partners are giving their users new connections and capabilities for the future. CHAMP offers increased visibility to CargoAi for its more than 100 airlines and GSAs customers. In return, CargoAi offers CHAMP clients a new sales channel and CargoAi increases its capacity to make quotes, prices and bookings instantly available to freight forwarders. ‘Our clients and users are at the heart of this partnership. Creating value for them has always been our priority and that is why we have the widest range of suites of systems dedicated to air freight. Being available on CargoAi, if they wish, is therefore an additional service that we can offer our clients’, says Nicholas Xenocostas, VP Commercial & Customer Engagement, CHAMP Cargosystems. As he sees it, now is the time to ‘deliver innovation faster’ to support and transform customers’ business processes, while bringing more digitalisation and visibility to the air freight industry. Connecting via APIs, CHAMP and CargoAi in effect enable supply chain partners to be integrated: airlines, freight forwarders and GSAs can thus connect and exchange information very easily. ‘Our goal remains the same; to make digitisation accessible to all industry players. This partnership with CHAMP is a real boon for our customers. Because thanks to the joint work we have accomplished, our customers can grow their businesses by being connected to each other, without having to do anything,’ says CargoAi CEO Matthieu Petot. ‘CHAMP and its teams are the gold standard in our industry and working with these cargo system experts is a fantastic opportunity.’

With an aim to make the postage cheap and easy, Gxpress is all set to launch an operating system called Ecomgistics for e-commerce for small parcels in India, starting from 50 grams. The sellers also have an option to consolidate the small parcels in a single box and send to the desired location. Sellers will get the lowest shipping prices with free small parcel tracking, without sacrificing the quality of service. Its vision is to empower small to medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs so that they can really focus on their business instead of worrying about operational activities such as shipments, custom clearances and other challenges when are shipping internationally. Gxpress’ easy-to-use website will enable them to book a pickup, estimate cost, and track their packages and more. “The logistics industry has been completely standstill since the start of the beginning of the unprecedented crisis of Covid-19 and lockdowns, ensuring that the supply chains remain intact. Due to the shortage of labour and the restrictions being imposed on the movement of goods and businesses, the supply chain has been disrupted in the past six months. Now, as the businesses started opening, we have planned to launch Ecomgistics for small businesses because we at Gxpress understand the obstacles faced by companies especially when they have to ship small parcels from India but cannot due to high shipping costs. We will focus on empowering small to medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs in the growth of their customers by giving them the option to consolidate the small parcels in a single box and send to the desired location” said Praveen Vashistha, Founder & Director of Gxpress. Gxpress has a mission to build the …