Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) has organised its first virtual Basic Air Cargo Program (BCAP) Training at all the ACFI Chapters viz. Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai on September 5, 2020 at pan-India basis. The programme was attended by record 107 participants from air cargo supply chain. The training programme was aimed for the benefit of air cargo industry contributing to Government of India’s Skill plans in the country. The online training by the expert faculties from air cargo industry was gainfully utilized by the participants as per feedback received from them. “Such platform would be helpful in bolstering business opportunities for the benefit of entire air cargo logistics industry in India,” the association says in its Linkedin post.

Keeping the movement of commodities stable, Schenker India has efficiently deployed weekly charters for both imports and exports between India and the US, Europe and Asian countries. The company has announced the success of a one-of-its-kind charter operation which started in April to extend supply chain support to customers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry in India. The reduced passenger capacity and cancellations of cargo freighters created an opportunity for the industry to commence active charter offerings in these unprecedented times. To keep the supply chain resilient, DB Schenker’s complex operation of the charter in India supports customers in the manufacturing of vaccines, personal protective equipment and health care equipment. Operating a combination of B747F, A330F and B737F to and from India, Schenker India also provides weekly charters from India via Europe to Latin America and connections to China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. For timely and quick deliveries, the complete process from charter enquiry to shipment arrival takes only five days. Vishal Sharma, CEO of the Cluster India and Indian Sub-Continent, DB Schenker said, “Charter operations are our endeavor to overcome the supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and meet the customers’ growing demand for the supply of essentials. Our preparedness with the business continuity plans allowed us to schedule exclusive full charter flights with reliable air cargo solutions to importers and exporters in the country. India is a priority market for DB Schenker globally and with our Global Flight Operations Program we enable our customers in India to keep their supply chains stable.” Our Global Flight Operations Program connects Mumbai with Frankfurt, Chicago, Atlanta (wheels up-wheels down in 29hrs) and Dubai (DXB-BOM only) on a weekly …

Talking about the journey of the airport during the COVID-19 time, Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), says, “In pre-COVID times, Bengaluru Airport’s cargo capacities on airlines were distributed between freighter and passenger aircraft in the ratio of 40:60. However, following the lockdown, freighters have carried most of the cargo to/from BLR Airport. In the current scenario, with increasing demand and lack of cargo capacity on scheduled passenger aircraft, especially across international markets, DGCA has given special approval for operation of passenger flights as charter for cargo handling. As a result, about 40 per cent of our capacity is currently being served by Passenger to Cargo (P2C) consignments. We have witnessed a significant increase in the number of Cargo ATMs in April and May 2020. During this period, we were able to record a total of more than 2,200 Cargo ATMs at BLR Airport.

DHL Global Forwarding has announced the transportation of five containers and two bespoke gas cooler assemblies from Germany to India for DHL Industrial Projects Japan. “The majority of the operation had to be undertaken during hours of darkness. Our team provided an excellent system of lighting on the quayside and the ship’s gears necessary for safe loading operations ensuring successful delivery and zero accidents,” the company informed in its recent Linkedin post. The company has recently published a white paper on delivering stable logistics for vaccines and medical goods during COVID-19, and future health crises suggesting the need for public-private partnership for successful delivery of COVID-19 vaccine.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has partnered with Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) in South Africa, a state-owned freight transport and handling company, to develop an integrated online marketplace platform by bringing together cargo owners, shipping lines, clearing and forwarding agents, and road/rail haulers. Both the companies aim to create a platform named Cargo Connect, which will function as an online logistics marketplace where customers can submit logistics related requests and allow service providers to bid online. Customers will be able to select the preferred proposal and award the cargo contract to that bidder. Expected to be ready in 12 months, the Cargo Connect marketplace will reshape the industry and drive TPT’s growth. Sharla Chetty, Chief Information Officer, TPT, says, “A major feature of this solution is a logistics marketplace which will function in the same manner as existing market platforms in the transportation and hospitality industry. Customers could tender logistics requests on the platform and allow logistics service providers to bid and potentially be selected to undertake a logistics service.” Siyabulela Mhlaluka, General Manager, Sales and New Business Development, TPT, said, “The new solution will help us bring all logistics players under one platform, create transparency in the industry, as well us power the next leg of our growth journey.” “TCS has been partnering with progressive organizations across the world to develop new technology-enabled business models that power their growth and transformation journeys,” said Sumanta Roy, Head, TCS Middle East, Africa, and Mediterranean.

CEVA Logistics has commenced the rollout of CargoWise, the integrated logistics execution platform, in order to simplify and standardise all 4PL operational processes across its global network. CargoWise will be implemented over the course of the next five years, as part of a planned process, replacing multiple legacy systems and delivering greater efficiency within the business. The switch to CargoWise will enable the company to have real-time visibility of freight forwarding and Customs actions on a single platform. As a purpose-built solution, Cargowise gives employees access to the same information in a single database across all functions, offices, countries and languages, furthering the CEVA Logistics digital transformation. By the end of 2022, 50 per cent of all CEVA Logistics locations will be fully operational on the CargoWise platform with the whole project completed and deployed by 2025. “By implementing CargoWise, CEVA Logistics will further improve productivity and efficiency as we strive to lead the way in multi-modal forwarding and contract logistics operations. CargoWise is the right choice to provide this new digital platform. CEVA Logistics recently invested to improve the customer journey and this implementation allows us to develop a high-level employee journey as well,” says Mathieu Friedberg, CEO, CEVA Logistics. Richard White, Global Founder and CEO, WiseTech, said, “The world of logistics has experienced significant upheaval over the past six months with the digitisation and automation of processes critical for future success. CargoWise will empower and enable CEVA Logistics to significantly improve efficiencies across its logistics and supply chain operations and continue to build its presence and strength globally.” Licensed across 160 countries, CargoWise enables logistics service providers to execute highly complex transactions in areas such as freight forwarding, …

Commenting on the aggregation model where truck owners are connected by the goods supplier, Aditya Shah, Executive Director, V-Trans India emphasised, “A lot of attempts have been made whether through private players or associations. To bring in efficiency, aggregation models should be strengthened, and they must be accessible to everyone, be it a truck aggregator or direct consumer. However, since the volume is so huge, probably one aggregating platform may not be able to sustain. It is only possible if three to four players merge, whether it is private or government, in order to make the truck seamlessly available to everyone. So, the data would be available but it is more about how easily we are able to access it with the use of technology and get the vehicle wherever you required it.”

DB Schenker has successfully delivered almost 200 components for the world’s largest rail mounted vehicles with a total weight of 90,000 freight tons to BHP’s US$ 3.6 billion South Flank project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Once assembled by the engineers of thyssenkrupp Mining Technologies, the fully autonomous stackers and reclaimer will each transport 20,000 tons of iron ore per hour in one of the world’s most extensive mining projects. Zoran Matijevic, Project Director – South Flank, thyssenkrupp Mining Technologies, says “South Flank is a flagship project in every aspect. Size of the machines required thyssenkrupp overcoming cutting-edge engineering, logistics, and construction challenges. We have successfully reached the 90 per cent project progress mark ahead of schedule and are looking forward to the equally successful completion and handover to our client.” 25 experts of DB Schenker’s Global Projects & Industry Solutions business unit in Perth planned and executed the engineered shipping and road transport solutions for more than two years. The parts were transported on three vessels 1,770 kilometers from the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, Western Australia, to Port Hedland. From there, they were carried by specialized hydraulic heavy transport trailers and trucks on a 350-kilometer road trip to the mine site in the Pilbara desert. The convoy with the largest trailer combination at 120 meters passed 27 bridges and five rail crossings.

Overcoming the COVID-19 challenges, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) handled 1,643,784 TEUs and 694 vessels in the lockdown period till August 31, 2020. After facing a drop of over 35 per cent in cargo handling in the initial lockdown period, slowly the decline has come down to 16.61 per cent in August as compared to August 2019 and the Port is trying to reach its pre Covid performance levels and the numbers reaffirms that JNPT will maintain this growth trajectory. JN Port registered a throughput of 3,52,735 TEUs in container handling in Aug 2020 as against 3,44,316 TEUs handled in July 2020. The overall traffic handled at JNPT during the month of August 2020 was 4.74 million tonnes as against 5.68 million tonnes in August 2019. Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT said, “Ports are an important link in the logistic chain and JNPort has efficiently played this role during the last couple of months and after facing steep contraction, is now on the road to recovery. At JNPT, we have taken various steps to keep the Port Ecosystem functional and for smooth working of the Logistic Supply Chain during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, which has helped our cause. Also by converting JNPT Hospital as Dedicated Covid Health Care Centre, we are trying to do our best in helping the local community to come out of this crisis”.

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo has announced the commencement of Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) Business Facilitation Center at its terminal. The FTCCI lends its support to the industry and government in promoting economic growth and cross border trade through its various programmes and initiatives. The FTCCI Business Facilitation Center will significantly benefit the exporters and cargo agents from Hyderabad and South India region. Presently, the exporters and cargo agents can get the ‘Certificate of Origin’ right at the GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo Terminal thus saving lot of travel time. The Center will also offer Visa Recommender Letters for overseas travel for business promotion. There will be time saving for documentation for export shipments specially for perishable shipments like fruits, vegetables and marine export shipments, which are to be exported in a time-bound manner to maintain the freshness of the produce.