“We are talking a lot about digitisation but our problems are different,” says, Samir J Shah, Partner, JBS Group of Companies at the first digital conclave by CargoTalk. He continues, “Our problems are that the type of people we have employed over the last many years are people right from the spectrum. For them, English and digitisation is a problem. Apart from facing challenge in continuing the employment of these people, the major issue will be that the newer kids will not have the experience which these people have. The obliquity to solve a problem because logistics solutions to a large extent in India have been jugaad based and that experience is something which the newer kids are not going to have. We have to find something in the middle where we can take full advantage of their experience, retain them as well as hand hold them into being in a position to work under the new schemes.

Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers, has said that this pandemic has given some lessons to learn for better future. The Covid-19 outbreak has derailed the supply chain cycle across countries. Speaking at the first digital conclave by CargoTalk, Vohra said, “There has always been a global discussion about China plus one policy. In today’s scenario, it should be a priority to reduce dependence on Chinese products. No doubt, looking at its size and democratic nature, India has all the potential to be a global choice as a preferred and reliable destination for investments. And, for that we have to provide new reforms to improve our industry, transparent dealings, ease of doing business rules, financial support by improving banking rules, better infrastructure warehousing facilities, improved labour laws, rules to ‘Make in India’ initiatives to self sustain in terms of various small path manufacturing for which we are still dependent on other countries.” “I am very hopeful that Indian logistics industry is going to do very well in the coming months since lot of production is going to come in India,” he adds.

Talking about the optimism on the new manufacturing front in the first digital conclave by CargoTalk, N Sivasailam, Former Special Secretary (Logistics), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry says, “I see very exciting days ahead.” He continues, “However, let me look at it from the side of an entrepreneur coming from abroad. When an entrepreneur comes, they will look for a complete value chain and a value chain in manufacturing also includes logistics. In India, unfortunately the benefits in manufacturing has been eaten away in logistics and I believe this is the first mindset issue which logistics professionals need to address.” He adds, “Indian manufacturing or foreign investment for Indian manufacturing can take off but when we make in India, we have to move it as well and the movement is quite a bit costly because every logistics chain, even at the lowest level, constitutes a monopolistic entity.

After the notable success of its maiden digital conclave in early May, CargoTalk is all geared up to host the second conclave on May 14, 2020 from 10 am to 12:15 pm. The virtual summit is divided into two one-hour sessions and will have eminent speakers from Ministry and trade. The summit will focus on the role of airports and airlines in keeping the air cargo flying in these grim times. And, what associations are doing for its members, especially in this hour of need. Speakers will include Vandana Aggarwak, Senior Economic Adviser, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, Sanjiv Gupta, CEO, SpiceXpress, Manoj Singh, Senior Vice President & Head – Cargo, Mumbai International Airport, Sunil Arora, President, ACAAI, Tushar K Jani, President, ACFI and AV Vijaykumar, Chairman, FFFAI.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) has announced that it will introduce a new train-handling charge on all trains handled at Mundra port from May 1. The new charge has been set at Rs2.60 lakh plus GST per rake handling in/out with 48 hours and it is being introduced to utilise this infrastructure at Mundra port.

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) urged that trade by sea must continue to flow to maintain the continued provision of essential goods, including vital medical supplies, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, IMO and Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, WCO strongly urged customs administrations and port state authorities, together with all other concerned agencies, to establish a coordinated and proactive approach to maintaining the integrity of the global supply chain so that the flow of vital goods by sea is not unnecessarily disrupted. The joint statement comes as the demand for and the movement of relief goods (such as supplies, medicines and medical equipment) across borders is increasing dramatically. It notes that ports are being closed and ships denied entry, as travel is curtailed and borders closed to slow the spread of the disease and mitigate its impacts. Such restrictions, it says, may interrupt much-needed aid and technical support, and have negative social and economic effects on the countries concerned.

In Q3 FY2020, revenue of ICRA’s sample of 12 large logistics players had declined by 2.6 per cent Y-o-Y as compared to a growth of 18.6 per cent in Q3 FY2019 and 1.9 per cent in Q2 FY2020, in line with the continued moderation in GDP growth, which hit a 27-quarter low of 4.7 per cent, resulting in subdued freight availability. ICRA expects that this trend is likely to continue in Q4 FY2020 and Q1 FY2021 with a greater degree of subdued performance. Muted consumer demand in sectors such as automotive, FMCG, capital goods and retail coupled with the slowdown in the production of bulk industrial commodities would adversely impact the growth of the sector. The pandemic induced nationwide lockdown has further accelerated the ongoing slowdown in the Indian macroeconomic conditions resulting in subdued freight availability. Consequently, in FY2021also, the ratings agency expects a contraction of 6-8 per cent Y-o-Y in revenue of its sample of logistics companies.

Locus has launched QuickStart for SMEs and startups to manage volatile demand, fleet and resource efficiency, and rising costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This tool is a self-serve lite version of the product suite startups and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The free trial is for a period of two months from the start of the subscription. With this state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) platform, companies can automate decision making while taking into account the on-ground reality. The free trial gives access to limited features of Locus Dispatcher and Locus MotionTrack, the route optimization solution, and fleet tracking insights and analytics solution, respectively. One can also access the Locus on the Road (LOTR) mobile application, with real-time tracking through Locus MotionTrack. Some of the default features of Locus QuickStart are: • Distance and time-based optimization • Fleet optimization • State-of-the-art geocoding • Machine Learning-powered algorithms for optimization • Collection of electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) • Predictive Alerts • Planned vs. Executed view • Planning and execution Insights

Agility and Chapman Freeborn Air chartering have decided to unite their efforts in delivering CT scan and MRI machines to Malé, Maldives. The Ministry of Health in Maldives ordered approximately 41 tonnes of cargo consisting of MRI, CT scan machines and other health equipment for distribution to four different hospitals across the chain of islands and atolls that make up the nation. Agility airlifted the cargo into Dubai from various locations in the USA, China, France, Japan and India. The seamless movement of more than 287 pieces from five countries into Dubai was a challenge, especially when availability of flights and space became limited due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Agility worked with Chapman Freeborn and chartered a B747 freighter from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. Using B747 aircraft provided significant cost savings when compared with alternatives such as the Antonov An124 or the smaller Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft, which would have required three separate flights. Satish Lakkaraju, Chief Commercial Officer of Agility India, says, “From the countries of origin, to the consolidation point in Dubai and to the final destination in Male, we were pleased to have such talented people working on this global project. We thank our Agility Dubai team and our trusted global partner, Chapman Freeborn, for expertly handling all challenges that arose.” Vikas Chaturvedi, Chapman Freeborn’s Dubai Commercial Manager-Cargo, says, “Transporting this type of medical equipment on short notice requires careful planning and close attention to detail. Our strength is the global aviation professionals working with Agility and Chapman Freeborn.”

Hyderabad International Airport got connected to African markets with the touchdown of the maiden cargo flight of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa. This new direct connection between Hyderabad and Ethiopia opens new opportunities to reach out to the markets in Africa and beyond leveraging the robust cargo network of the Ethiopian Airlines. The airline is expected to be operating one frequency per week. With a capacity of 50 MT per flight, it will be operating Boeing 777-300 aircraft.