While addressing the ongoing CII Logistics Summit 2023 at Pragati Maidan, Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary Logistics, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India said, “We have our vision 2047 for the country wherein we are expecting to become a $30 trillion economy. Our present plans are supported by our continuous reform to become the manufacturing hub. As we characterize the service sector, all of this gets facilitated and enabled to greater logistics efficiency and a lower logistic cost. As we attract more investments under PLI scheme, logistics cost becomes such an important determinant of attracting investment, while the whole industry has been working on improving the logistics efficiency by improving the overall logistics infrastructure. Both private players and service providers need to invest in infrastructure to ensure seamless movement of cargo.” She added, “We need to address the first mile and last mile connectivity issues as well. So, building multimodal infrastructure to ensure logistics efficiency is important.”

Menzies Aviation, the ground handling agent has eliminated wait times, maximized capacity and is using its resources better with Nallian’s Truck Visit Management Solution, which was up and running in 8 weeks, consists of a digital front desk and slot booking system. It ensures a smooth flow of freight pick ups and drop offs at the GHA’s warehouses. Petr Cizek, General Manager, explains: “We used to have no visibility on who would be coming when to pick up or drop off goods. Trucks would show up unannounced, which created waiting times. Today, trucking companies and freight forwarders book a slot according to our availability. This eliminates wait times and it enables us to offer a better and faster service at the dock door, since we can plan staff and prepare freight for the scheduled pick ups and drop offs. As a result, we are delivering a better service to our customers. It is my most important indicator for success: our customers no longer complain.”

Enhancing its reputation as the most preferred airport of choice for perishables, BLR Airport cargo witnessed a near two-fold increase in rose shipments in the run-up to Valentine’s Day this year. The season of roses at BLR Airport brought cheer once again with a 14% increase in rose shipments processed compared to last year. Valentine’s week kept BLR Cargo busy as 17.4 Million rose stems (589,296 kg) were processed. Top international destinations to receive these Indian roses were Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Kuwait, Manila, Auckland, New York, Lebanon, Maldives, Jordan and Dubai. BLR Cargo sent roses to a total of 15 global destinations. On the domestic front 6.6 million rose stems (178,200 kg) were processed which is a 31% increase compared to last year. Top Indian cities to receive the Valentine’s week consignment were Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Guwahati, Bagdogra, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Darbhanga, Chandigarh and Patna which are among 34 domestic destinations.

Skretting, the Norway-based global leader in aqua feed and nutrition, inaugurated its state-of-the-art production facility for shrimp and fish feed in Mangrol, Surat. The high-end facility allows Skretting to further enhance support for its customers and the Indian aquaculture sector. Spread over an area of 20,000 sq mt and built with an investment of EUR 18.5 million (Rs. 165 crore approximately), the facility will cater to both shrimp and fish cultures. The shrimp cultures will include white tiger and black tiger, while fish cultures will include Indian major carps, and high-value fish like snakehead, seabass, etc. The Mangrol facility has three production lines with a production capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes per annum. It will produce both extruded/floating and pelleted/sinking feed as per the requirement of the species and customers. There is also adequate land and infrastructure available to increase production capacity in the future. The facility was inaugurated by Dr. Sanjeev Balyan, Hon’ble Minister of State of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and Michiel van Erkel, Agriculture Counsellor for India and Sri Lanka, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Focusing on various industry issues such as Customs, Taxes, CBLR, EDI, Port & Shipping, Costal/Inland Waterways, ICDS and airports, the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) held its 12th Executive Committee (EC) Meeting in Ahmedabad recently. The meet, hosted by Ahmedabad Customs Brokers Association, was attended by the Office Bearers of the Federation and representatives from 30 Member associations from across the country. Majority of Policy recommendations were made to highlight for Customs trade facilitation measures under ease of doing business, infrastructure development and Digital transaction. Also focus was given on the training and development in logistics sector, which initiatives shall be carried by the FFFAI – IIFF (Indian Institute of Freight Forwarders) with e-learning introduction and FIATA Diploma courses. Also presentation on ‘Business Continuity Planning’ focusing on Best Practices guidelines for the benefits of the members was made by Samir J Shah, Advisor FFFAI, which highlighted to cope with future challenges. Shankar Shinde, Chairman, FFFAI highlighted the initiatives of International Customs Day dedicated theme by World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels 2023 on “Nurturing the next generation: promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs.” This is a theme close to the IFCBA and its members around the world, as Customs experts and Customs practitioners. “FFFAI will be happy to take this forward to benefit the trade members to professionalize the Logistics Industry.” said Shinde. He also pointed out that the recommendations made to the Ministries, Government departments and stakeholders will be helpful to the trade in reducing cost and dwell time.

Hermes Travel and Cargo Pvt Ltd has successfully achieved its GDP Certification IN23/00000103 through SGS. The company has been assessed and certified as meeting the requirements of World Health Organisation Goods and Distribution Practices. “As a company, we stand committed to delivering superior and compliant services to our pharmaceutical clientele in India and across the globe. This certificate will further enhance our already prominent market position in this vertical. We thank all our esteemed customers who have been part of our growth story, entrusting us with their shipments. Continual improvement is need of both – The Customer and Business,” the company announced the news on Linkedin.

Air Canada Cargo has become a member of the Pharma.Aero cross-industry collaboration platform to further develop its pharmaceutical shipments handling knowledge. Founded in 2016, the Pharma.Aero platform includes over 50 Life Science and MedTech manufacturers, cargo pharma-certified communities and other logistics stakeholders. “As we continue to expand our freighter fleet and with the continued enhancements to our cold chain handling capabilities, this participation in a new avenue for critical insight into pharmaceutical shipments is an important step forward,” said Matthieu Casey, managing director – commercial at Air Canada Cargo. “Pharma.Aero will increase our ability to collaborate with an ever-growing list of industry experts to share ideas and gather knowledge on ways to further strengthen our expertise in shipping this vital cargo.”

Air India on Tuesday announced a 470-aircraft order with Airbus and Boeing, including 260 widebody planes, the largest order ever from any Indian airline and among the largest globally. The airline had last placed an order for aircraft 17 years ago and this is the first since the carrier’s sale to Tata Sons. The order comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft. The narrow-bodies include 210 Airbus A320 and 321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. The A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines, and the B777 or 787s by engines from GE Aerospace. All single-aisle aircraft will be powered by engines from CFM International. The last order from the airline was in 2006 when it signed a deal for 68 Boeing and 43 Airbus aircraft.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has allowed the transshipment of Bangladesh export cargo to third countries through Delhi Air Cargo. Following representations from interested parties, the Board decided to amend Circular 29/2020-Customs, dated June 22, 2020, to allow the transshipment of Bangladesh export cargo to third countries via Delhi Air Cargo. Transhipment of goods by road from LCS Petrapole to Air Cargo Complex, Delhi is also allowed with effect from February 15, 2023, following the procedure prescribed in the aforesaid Circular, until further direction from the Board,” the amendment read. The Circular allows inter alia transshipment of Bangladesh export cargo through Kolkata Air Cargo. The goods loaded on containers/closed-bodied trucks enter India from LCS Petrapole, and move by road to Kolkata Air Cargo, from where they are airlifted and transported to third countries. It has been road to Kolkata Air Cargo, from where they are airlifted and transported to third countries. It has been represented to allow this movement through Delhi Air Cargo also, for better cargo evacuation and improved logistics efficiency.

Netradyne, a SaaS company, signed an agreement with Transystem Logistics, an integrated supply chain and logistic solutions provider for the automobile market in India to deliver a complete fleet safety solutions package. Transystem Logistics is a joint venture between Mitsui and Transport Corporation of India (TCI). With a large number captive and non-captive fleets, Transystem offers customised logistic solutions to some of the biggest OEMs in India and works on the Japanese principles of maximizing efficiency and time. In addition to optimising operational costs, Transystem is prioritising on improving driver safety by monitoring trips and providing real-time alerts. Durgadutt Nedungadi, Vice President – International Business, Netradyne, said, “We are honored that Transystem selects us to support their vision of reducing road fatalities and improving operational efficiencies. Driver•i provides monitoring and driver coaching, which leverages our state-of-the-art AI-enabled safety technologies.” Sagar Agarwal – SVP, Transystem Logistics Said, “Using Netradyne to support our fleets on the road encourages driver safety behavior. Further, linking incentives to performance summary reports encourages safety practices, thereby reducing exposure to accidents and amplifying our overall quality of services.