IndoSpace announced the launch of its first in city warehousing facility in Chembur, under the brand name INLOGIS, a cutting-edge in-city warehousing solution in the heart of Mumbai. The facility spans over 1.5 lakhs+ sq. ft offers scalability options ranging from 5000 to 35,000 sq. ft, enhancing urban logistics across several sectors. Strategically located in Chembur, it provides seamless connectivity to South Mumbai, Western Suburbs, Eastern Suburbs, and Navi Mumbai, thus serving over 50% of Mumbai’s population and meeting the growing demand for quick and efficient urban distribution services. It is well connected to major transport routes like the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), Mumbai-Pune Expressway, JNPT Port, Easter Freeway, Eastern Expressway, Airports including the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. Customers in the city increasingly prioritise speed, often preferring to pay more for quicker delivery services. INLOGIS Chembur is poised to transform the logistics industry by utilising vertical space development and maximising Mumbai’s urban landscape’s potential for efficient and last mile warehousing solutions. INLOGIS Chembur has also installed highly efficient cargo elevators and docking stations designed for rapid servicing, resulting in improved dispatch lead times. INLOGIS Chembur targets pivotal sectors such as 3PL, eCommerce, retail, and consumer durables. In response to the growing demand for quick urban delivery, INLOGIS Chembur is set to become a crucial part of the urban warehousing infrastructure. Rajesh Jaggi, Vice Chairman – Real Estate, The Everstone Group, highlights that the focus on urban warehousing is a strategic response to the needs of metropolitan consumers and businesses. INLOGIS Chembur is expected to set new benchmarks in the industry and pave the way for rapid economic growth. IndoSpace’s latest offering is a step towards creating a seamless …

Softlink Global, a provider of innovative logistics solutions and developer of the acclaimed Logi-Sys TMS, announced its exciting new role as the company joins the IATA Strategic Partnerships Program and provide its knowledge and expertise in the Digital & Interactive Cargo stream. The official signing ceremony took place at the IATA World Cargo Summit (WCS) event in Hong Kong (12-14 March, 2024). Joining Forces for a Smarter Air Cargo Future: This strategic partnership marks a significant step forward for both Softlink Global and the air cargo industry. Softlink Global, already serving a vast client base with over 30 years of experience, brings its renowned technological expertise to the table. With a focus on cutting-edge solutions like Blockchain, Cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing, Softlink Global aligns perfectly with IATA’s vision for a digitally driven future. “We welcome Softlink to the IATA Strategic Partnerships Program and look forward to their contribution to air cargo’s digitalization. It is priority across the whole value chain,” stated Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. Amit Maheshwari, CEO of Softlink Global, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “This is clearly the right direction for Softlink Global. We are a tech-driven company, and this partnership allows us to actively contribute to critical initiatives like eFreight, One Record, and future projects under the IATA Strategic Partner umbrella.” Beyond Technology: Expanding Global Reach: Furthermore, Softlink Global sees this partnership as an opportunity to expand its global reach, particularly in the important European market. By actively collaborating with IATA and its members, Softlink Global aims to further its mission of empowering the air cargo industry with cutting-edge technology and solutions.

Early growth investment fund Fundalogical Ventures (FLV) has announced their first investment in the Pre – Series A round raised by Indicold, a tech enabled cold supply chain company. The funds will be used to focus on tech development, expanding into new geographies and building a strong team. Fundalogical is backed by well-known sponsors such as Krishna Kotak, Chairman of JM Baxi Group, Tushar Jani, Blue Dart Founder, Mehernosh Currawalla of FAK Cargo Dynamics, Khalid Vohra of SAI Shipping and Suryakant Parekh of Polestar & Parekh Group. It is one of the few funds operating at the intersection of early growth, a cusp between VC and PE and focusing on high growth sectors like Supply Chain and Logistics, and peripheral sectors like consumption which are driven by supply chain. The Fund invests in innovative early growth companies with an average investment size of ₹ 20 to 80 Crore, during their investment cycle as a lead or co-investor. Commenting on the investment, Mr. Tushar Jani, Sponsor, Fundalogical Ventures, “With the country’s rapidly expanding demand for efficient cold logistics solutions, we see immense potential for growth in this sector. With huge losses in storage and transportation of temperature-controlled food supply chains, Indicold’s visionary founders and innovative operations will bring value-added propositions to their customers.”

DHL and New York University’s (NYU) Stern School of Business released the new DHL Global Connectedness 2024 to track how flows of trade, capital, information, and people move around the world and measures the globalization of 181 countries and territories. The report reveals that globalization reached a record high in 2022 and remained close to that level in 2023 – despite a series of global shocks over the past decade, including the Covid-19 pandemic, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the U.S. – China trade conflict, and the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The evidence strongly rebuts the notion that the growth of global flows has gone into reverse. Trade growth played a crucial role in boosting global connectedness. The share of global output traded internationally was back to a record high level in 2022. After a slowdown in 2023, trade growth is forecast to accelerate in 2024. The globalization of information flows has been especially strong over the past two decades, even though the latest data show a stall in their growth, partly due to less research collaboration between the U.S. and China. Corporate globalization is rising, with companies expanding their international presence and earning more sales abroad. John Pearson, CEO DHL Express, said: “The most recent findings of the DHL Global Connectedness Report unequivocally dispel the notion of globalization reversing course. Far from being a mere buzzword, globalization is an influential force that has profoundly reshaped our world and has further great potential. Expanding markets and fostering opportunities empower individuals, businesses, and entire nations to flourish in unique ways. Embracing globalization allows us and our customers to forge a promising future, fostering an increasingly interconnected world, more prosperous for …

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has confirmed that Lufthansa Cargo has renewed its agreement to use the trade body’s CargoIS platform. The new deal extends a partnership between the two that dates back more than a decade. IATA’s CargoIS provides comprehensive market intelligence relating to the air cargo industry. The platform takes in a network of over 80,000 unique city-to-city trade lanes, offering stakeholders – including airlines, freight forwarders, airports and shippers – insights into market trends. CargoIS is designed to transform huge datasets into actionable insights, enabling users to navigate the complexities of the air cargo market efficiently, fostering competitive advantage and operational excellence. Ashwin Bhat, chief executive of Lufthansa Cargo, noted that the market intelligence CargoIS has provided the carrier with over the years has “played a key role in shaping our strategic planning and improving our operational efficiency”. He continued: “This extended collaboration not only helps us to refine our shipping strategies but also ensures our position at the forefront of the industry, guided by data-driven decision-making.” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general and chief executive, said that the deal “highlights the value of IATA’s cargo data products and trust in our data intelligence solutions. “CargoIS helps our customers to make better strategic decisions. Continuing and expanding our partnership with Lufthansa Cargo underscores the importance of leveraging data-driven insights to enhance efficiency and sustainability in the air cargo industry.”

The growth in the transport of pharma by air and the rapid rise in e-commerce, has led to an increase in demand for real-time shipment tracking, says Brendan Sullivan, Global Head – Cargo at IATA at the ongoing World Cargo Symposium 2024 in Hong Kong. He adds, “Shippers, cargo handlers and stakeholders want to know the procedures and requirements for the approval and use of tracking devices and data loggers. The updated IATA Interactive Cargo Guidance provides a common framework so that tracking devices can monitor the quality and accuracy of conditions of time and temperature sensitive goods. While the journey towards digitalization is not without challenges, our call to action is clear; Governments must consistently implement global standards; Supply chain partners need to collaborate to overcome shared challenges; And the entire industry must align to ensure a unified and effective approach to digitalization. To spearhead this alignment, IATA has introduced the Digitalization Charter to help the value chain give additional focus to this all-important areas. By adhering to the Charter’s principles—such as adopting industry-wide standards, championing sustainability, guaranteeing ethical technology use, and upholding digital leadership—the charter benchmarks excellence, security, and sustainability within the digital domain. I am delighted to announce Cathay Cargo, Champ Cargosystems, Global Logistics System (HK) Company Limited (GLSHK), IAG Cargo, IBS Software, LATAM Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo as the first signatories of the charter.”

The Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) has tied up with Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Kolkata to launch courses on Shipping & Logistics through collaboration between FFFAI’s training arm Indian Institute of Freight Forwarders (IIFF). It is pertinent to mention that IIM Mumbai previously recognized as the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai (NITIE Mumbai), is a graduate business school under the Ministry of Education (India), Government of India located in Powai in Mumbai, and is ranked 7th among B-Schools of India. The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade was established as a Centre of Excellence in International Trade & Business, Education and Research in 1963. It is an autonomous educational institute under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was granted “Deemed to be University” status in 2002. “We are thrilled to unveil a game-changing opportunity that’s set to transform your career in Shipping, Logistics, and Supply Chain Management! FFFAI, with its well-established training arm IIFF and in collaboration with IIM Mumbai & IIFT, Kolkata to launch the Certificate Course in Shipping, Logistics and Supply Chain Management on April 13, 2024, and April 15, 2024, respectively,” informed Dr. Nirav Thakker, Hon. Secretary, IIFF. The PG Diploma Certificate on Shipping, Logistics and Supply Chain Management course will be validated by IIM, Mumbai. “It will be a huge opportunity for FFFAI members as well as all aspirants from the Logistic industry to avail the benefits of this course across the country thanks to the online facility,” he added.

Ravi Kumar Tummalapalli, Managing Director va-Q-tec India shares, “Good Distribution Practice (GDP) and cold chain integrity are crucial to maintain pharma supply chain. “Despite the increase in the Pharma R&D, clinical trials activity in India there is not much awareness about the GDP practices, and we continue to operate in the traditional ways. This needs to be taken up seriously by the regulators to bring in awareness on the Good Distribution Practices. This will bring more credibility to Indian manufacturers in the Domestic and the International arena. Cold chain integrity, is very important to maintain the stability of the product and deliver a quality product to the patient,” he shares.

DP World operated International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Cochin, scaled another milestone in its journey by handling a record volume of 75,141 TEUs in February 2024, registering a 38% volume growth over February 2023. The substantial growth of cargo handled by ICTT is a testament to the pivotal role it plays as a preferred gateway and a growing transhipment hub for cargo movement to and from markets in south India. Cochin connects close to 50% of EXIM cargo directly to the Middle east, Far East, Europe, and the Mediterranean through mainline services. The terminal also acts as a key hub for the flow of coastal cargo between the east and west coast of India. ICTT recently commissioned two state-of-the-art STS (Ship-to-Shore) Mega Max cranes that can handle up to a width of 25 container rows. These coupled with the recently added four e-RTGs and yard capacity expansions have enhanced the ability of the terminal to offer faster vessel turnaround times while offering sustainable movement of cargo. These have also strengthened the terminal’s productivity with increased lift capacity and enhanced the handling ability of ULCVs (ultra-large container vessels) at the terminal.

Kale Info Solutions (Kale) has joined the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), marking a significant step forward for Kale in solidifying its position within the American maritime arena. With its extensive expertise in community platforms and enterprise solutions for ports, Kale will continue to empower the maritime community to optimise operations, through streamlining workflows, addressing congestion, dwell time, and documentation challenges, and providing technology that promotes paperless trade facilitation. “Becoming a member of the American Association of Port Authorities underscores our commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions tailored to the unique needs of the port industry. By joining forces with AAPA, we aim to contribute to the advancement of port excellence and drive digital, sustainable growth across the Americas,” said Amar More, President, Kale. “Kale aims to leverage its expertise to support AAPA’s mission of promoting port development, environmental sustainability, and economic prosperity.” The AAPA is a leading organisation representing the collective interests of ports throughout the Americas. With a rich history of advocacy and collaboration, AAPA serves as a vital platform for industry stakeholders to drive innovation, share best practice, and shape policies that enhance port efficiency and competitiveness on a global scale. “Most major U.S. ports currently trail global counterparts in digital optimisation – however, ongoing supply chain disruptions from COVID-19, trade tensions, and geopolitical challenges are compelling U.S. ports to enhance efficiency,” said More. “Embracing digital technology is imperative to navigating these complex dynamics and ensuring smoother operations in the future.” Kale offers the world’s pioneering SaaS-based Port Community System (PCS), fully compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Maritime Single Window. This system facilitates the electronic exchange of information and documentation among maritime and port stakeholders …