The much-awaited Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) 2023 event organised by WIZ finally kicked off at the Taj Bengaluru. The inaugural Session delved deep into the government’s vision, highlighting the pivotal policies that bolster the Indian Cold Chain Industry and logistics sector. Dr. S. Selvakumar graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, and shared invaluable insights shaping the path forward. Kajal Singh, Principal Commissioner, ACC and Airport also focused on the evolving cold chain and logistics sector. Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Cargo Officer, BIAL, Satish Lakkaraju, Global Head Air Freight and Pharma at WIZ, and Ramkumar Govindarajan, Founder and CEO together with dignitaries performed the lamp lighting ceremony. “The theme of this event, Cold Chain Unbroken, encapsulates the fundamental goal we all share to establish an unbroken chain of temperature control, storage, transportation and the distribution of goods. Achieving this objective requires a collaborative effort from government agencies, private entrepreneurs, research institutions and stakeholders involved. It also necessitates embracing cutting edge technologies and the best practices to address the challenges that lies ahead. Karnataka has a considerable number of approximately 233 cold storage facilities, collectively offering a substantial overall capacity. The remaining cold storage facilities are owned and operated by private players in the state. This distribution of ownership highlights the collaboration between government agencies and private entrepreneurs in providing essential cold storage infrastructure to further assist in the process of releasing and logistics policy of Karnataka that will provide fiscal incentive for setting up cold chain facilities in Karnataka,” said the chief guest.

Combined Logistics Solutions wins ‘Best Global Logistics Company’ award at the recently concluded India Cargo Awards in New Delhi. Piyush Srivastava, IES, Senior Economic Advisor graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023 hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the industry.

Get ready to participate in India’s highly anticipated and power-packed show on cold chain storage and transportation. Being organized by WIZ, Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) 2023 opens today at Taj Bengaluru. The key points of discussion will include cold chain storage, handling and transportation, adequate infrastructure and skilled manpower for ground handling and transportation of products such as pharma and perishables, tech integration, government policies to facilitate EoDB and a lot more. Several industry stalwarts and stakeholders, including airports, airlines, freight forwarders, shipping lines, trucking companies, custodians are expected to take part in the show. The two-day event will provide a platform to meet and exchange ideas and collaborate.

D P World has launched its state-of-the-art 3,80,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Bhiwandi, in Maharashtra’s Thane district. The facility is fully compliant for the storage and handling of chemicals along with non-chemicals and has commenced operations effective September 1, 2023. This new facility elevates DP World’s warehousing capability to 5+ million sq. ft. of warehousing space PAN India. A partition divides the entire warehouse into two sections. One spans 1,90,000 sq. ft. and is specially designed for hazardous chemical storage, complete with heavy-duty G+8 level racking and state-of-the-art very early smoke detection apparatus (VESDA). This adaptable section offers an impressive capacity of 20,000 pallet positions for the normal temperature zone, along with an additional 1,000 pallet positions for the 20 to 25-degree temperature-controlled area, which can be further expanded when needed. The second section covers 1,50,000 sq. ft. and is dedicated to non-chemical storage. Additionally, the warehouse includes a 40,000 sq. ft. separate area featuring two distinct cold storage rooms. The new facility provides comprehensive safety features throughout the premises. This also includes a Chill temperature-controlled area, maintained at 20° to 25°C, for Pharma, Food Reagents, etc. Additionally, there are fireproof partitions, a dedicated firewater system, a spill containment pit, and Rockwool insulation on the roof. To enhance air quality and promote employee well-being, the facility utilizes High-Volume Low-Speed Fans (HVLS) for efficient air circulation. Furthermore, as a sustainability initiative, the facility is equipped with a solar system. The facility’s two-sided Docking system reduces the picking path whereas a Safety Lifeline system ensures driver safety while removing tarpaulin from trucks. The facility also features an extended canopy area of over 5 meters, ensuring smooth loading and unloading of vehicles across …

Ahead of its upcoming 47th Annual Convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November, The Air Cargo Agents Association of India held its 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai on Tuesday and elected CK Govil, CMD, Activair Airfreight as the President of the association. The Managing Committee elected Samir J Shah, Partner, JBS Group of Companies as the Vice President. Vikram Kumar, Director at CTC Air Carriers has been elected as Honorary Secretary General and Praveen Menon is now the Honorary Treasurer. Afzal Malbarwala, MD, Galaxy Freight stepped down from the position of President this year after serving ACAAI for two consecutive years as President. The Managing Committee Member are Mahesh Trikha, Anil Vazirani, Siddharth Jairaj, Chaitaly Mehta, Ronnie Goveas, Amit Koley.

Kale Logistics Solutions (Kale) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Series B funding round, raising USD 30 million in capital led by Creaegis Advisors LLP, a digital and tech focused private equity fund. This funding round represents a significant milestone in the company’s journey and positions it for rapid expansion and continued innovation. The company had earlier raised a Series A investment from Inflexor Ventures in 2020 and counts marquee founding angels Narendra Kale and Vipul Jain. The investment will fuel Kale’s mission to develop and deploy robust Cargo Community Systems to transform global logistics beyond regional boundaries. Vipul Jain, Chairman, Kale Logistics Solutions, said, “This is our second fundraising with an external investor, and we are happy to partner with Creaegis because of the alignment of vision for the business, their record and understanding of the SaaS and tech products space globally. We are confident they will add value to the company as we shift gears towards a faster growth trajectory. Amar More, Rajesh Panicker, and Vineet Malhotra, Co-founders of Kale Logistics Solutions, said jointly, “We are thrilled to partner with Creaegis for our global expansion, leveraging their operational value add and SaaS experience. Together with our esteemed group of existing investors, we are well positioned for the next phase of growth. The current funding will empower us to accelerate our mission of connecting the different stakeholders of the logistics industry through our community platforms and empower them with several digital value-added services and enterprise systems to facilitate global trade.”

Prozo has opened its cold storage facility at Krishnapatnam, Tamil Nadu. It is strategically located near major seafood hubs in the East Coast region of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The increased demand for tech-driven seafood cold storage facilities comes with the growth of the food and allied businesses. Prozo’s new facility is located at Krishnapatnam, ~25 kms from nearest Highway NH16. It is 30 km from Nellore, 115 km from Sri City, 170 kms from Chennai, and 700 km from Vizag. The cold-storage facility spans over 30,000 sq. ft. with a clear height of 39.8 ft and is compliant with all safety and security norms. Designed for seafood, the facility maintains temperatures at minus 20 degrees Celsius. It has 10 chambers, each with a storage capability of 280 pallets in G+4 heavy duty racking. Prozo focuses on leveraging technology and best in class operations capability to provide end-to-end, integrated supply chain solutions. The company oversees supply chains for 100+ enterprises, including leading ecommerce players. The fulfillment network spans 30 centers across 12 Indian locations, covering 1.5 million sq. ft.

Roadcast, India’s leading innovator in automotive technology has introduced the AI Dash Cam to enhance road safety and security and to streamlining logistics. “Staying at the forefront of technology, we are constantly working to improve logistics with AI-based tools. The AI powered Dash Cam will prove beneficial for fleet management in multiple industries across geographies. The role of AI has become so prominent that it is almost indispensable to specific industries. With the incorporation of AI in Dash Cam, the operations costs can be notably lowered with increased productivity, safety, and seamless operations”, shares Rahul Mehra, Co Founder, Roadcast. AI applications are also greatly benefiting logistics and fleet management. In the same vein, Roadcast, with its AI Dash Cam is offering a comprehensive solution for capturing critical footage on the road. The AI Dash Cam offers driver behaviour analysis such as speed, acceleration, and braking patterns, ensuring safer driving practices and optimized fleet management. A first-of-its-kind AI Dash Cam by Roadcast is also equipped with a panic button feature so drivers can quickly alert authorities in case of emergencies. The AI Dash Cam with its cloud capability, stores videos and data that can be accessed in real-time. The product is sleek and compact, ensuring a seamless installation on the windshield. With its fully-integrated design, the JC400P incorporates a high-definition 1080P front camera and a built-in 720P inward-facing sub-camera.

Blue Dart Express was felicitated as ‘Best Express Cargo Service Provider’ award at recently concluded India Cargo Awards 2023 in New Delhi. Piyush Srivastava, IES, Senior Economic Advisor graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023 hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the industry.

The global air cargo spot rate flattened to USD 2.19 per kg in August, its lowest level since the onset of the pandemic as another weak summer month saw chargeable weight edge -1% lower for a fourth consecutive month, according to the latest weekly market analysis from CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta. While shippers and forwarders continue to benefit from the overall decline of general air freight rates, rising jet fuel prices should concern an already contracted market, with the US gulf coast jet fuel spot price jumping 21% month-over-month. August saw global air cargo capacity rise +7% year-on-year, while CLIVE’s global dynamic load factor analysis, which measures cargo load factor based on both volume and weight perspectives of cargo flown and capacity available, climbed one percentage point about the previous month to 56%. But it is worth noting that the August global load factor continued to fall year-on-year, down 3% from last year’s level. Softened global demand and the capacity surge were the main reasons behind this. The data dampens some industry reports of a slight spike in demand in August, leading to hopes of a rise in volumes going into the final four months of the year. “We are picking up signals that it could take another few quarters before we see more demand on a global level,” said Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer at Xeneta. “August was very quiet, like July, and we see no meaningful signals from a qualitative or quantitative point of view of any kind of peak arising this year. There might be some early peak season charter requests floating around but they are backed up by very little demand. The …