Brihanmumbai Custom Brokers Association (BCBA), under the leadership of President Dushyant Mulani celebrated its 85th Foundation Day at Y.B. Chavan Centre, on Monday, 19th December 2022. Vivek Phansalkar IPS, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai was the keynote speaker for the program. During his address, the Commissioner of Police emphasized on the awareness on Cybersecurity and prevention of cybercrime and steps that citizens need to undertake for keeping the predators at the bay. He gave considerable insights on the overall Law & order as well, particularly in the Digital era which is now increasingly touching the daily lives of the citizens. He appreciated the efforts of BCBA for undertaking the initiative for its members and for trade at large. He instructed his team to extend co-operation and requested the audience to educate themselves and spread the awareness, particularly since his team of officers was available to guide on Cybersecurity to Custom Broker members and Exim trade Industry. The Police Commissioner’s speech was followed by a presentation by Suvarna Shinde, Senior Police Inspector on awareness of Cybersecurity which was very well praised by the audience. The Chief Guest for the program, Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai Zone I, P.K. Agrawal graced the occasion along with Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai Zone III, Roopam Kapoor, as the Guest of Honour. Kapoor complemented the role of BCBA and urged that with the Time Release Study coming up, BCBA and its members to expedite the clearances, particularly in case of Air Cargo, where consignments are time sensitive. He reassured that Customs will provide full back up and support to trade and industry for timely clearances. P. K. Agrawal congratulated BCBA and the members on the …

Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA said, “From an industry perspective we were very pleased to see increase in innovation and digital connectivity. The investment in P2F conversions and in production freighters will ensure the industry has sufficient capacity available when the current downturn in demand reverses. We need to collectively enhance the value proposition and increase the awareness of what a vital role this industry plays in the global economy and global society. I think the key question for 2023 is when will the current economic challenges which have impacted consumers subside? High inflation, high energy costs and high interest rates have conspired with job insecurity to create defensive patterns in consumer spending. When these influences turn more positive we can expect to see significant industry growth resuming. For TIACA we expect to see further focus on sustainability and people issues.”

“We expect the forthcoming budget to provide a balance between the economic growth priorities and inflation concerns, in an all-encompassing manner. The momentum of growth at which India has come up post the pandemic cannot be declined. We believe that the budget 2022 will be very carefully structured to sustain the growth momentum and continued infrastructure development, irrespective of the ups and downs,” says, Vineet Agarwal, Managing Director, TCI while sharing his views and expectations on the upcoming budget 2023-2024. “As the government’s vision to ease supply chain bottlenecks is quite evident in the scale of decisions and initiatives which have been undertaken in the recent past. The continued focus on execution of specific strategies will improve global competitiveness. Reducing logistics cost and creating a technology-enabled structure will help to achieve the target of positioning India among the top 25 countries in the Logistics Performance Index. In addition, emphasis on upskilling programs like Gati Shakti Vishwavidalya will help the logistics sector contribute its best in India leading the Industrial Revolution 4.0 & 5G era,” he adds.

Emiza, a new-age 3PL startup has established its footprint in the major trade center of MMR by moving into a 70,000 sq.ft. standalone facility at Welspun One Logistics Park’s (WOLP) flagship industrial and logistics campus in Bhiwandi. This facility will seamlessly serve 120+ direct-to-consumer (D2C) and business-to-business (B2B) brands across the broad spectrum of beauty, personal care, cosmetics, fashion, lifestyle, electronics, appliances, home, kitchen, food and nutrition. With this committed 5 years strategic partnership and handover, Emiza will have access to a best-in-class IGBC Platinum pre-certified Grade A logistics park at Bhiwandi. The highly functional premises is energy-efficient, solar-panels enabled and has a zero-discharge facility set as part of its amenities. Further, its strict adherence to global standards, 100% compliance to stringent safety norms, legal and health will help maximize its business efficiency. The campus is a model for today’s green economy with sustainability integrated into its design and development. It focuses on customized utilities which are built-to-suit as per the evolving needs of new-age businesses. Stratigically located in close proximity to Kalyan – off NH3, Mumbai-Nashik highway; in the micro-market between Mankoli & Padgha, the warehousing park is suited for occupiers who intend to serve the 26MM consumption base and is well-connected to Thane and Mumbai via NH3 and Navi Mumbai via NH4 and Thane Belapur road.

Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer – CarGo, IndiGo, shared his predictions for 2023 and said, “We are evaluating various opportunities available in this sector. Recently, we commenced domestic operations of our first A321 Freighter aircraft between Delhi and Mumbai, carrying 20 tons of general and e-commerce CarGo and our first international A321 P2F freighter flight between Kolkata and Yangon on November 22, 2022, with the payload of more than 19,000 kg. In general, Indian airlines are increasing their cargo capacity with the segment emerging as a critical and promising revenue stream. The dedicated freighter fleet of India has seen a dramatic rise to 28 aircraft from 5 over the last few years. As demand increases the number of freighter fleet is expected to rise as airlines in India are looking to add dedicated aircraft for cargo operations. The cargo operations across the aviation industry fared better than passenger segment amid the pandemic and helped the aviation industry stay afloat. Our plan is to develop a profitable network which will include expanding to international destinations such as Hong Kong and Vietnam. However, we will continue to build a robust CarGo network domestically and focus on expansion to tier II- III cities through our fleet of passenger narrow body aircraft.”

Deepak Tiwari, COO, KSH Logistics, while sharing his expectations from the upcoming budget 2023-2024, which will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said, “In 2023, we need the government to address some crucial issues like rising rental prices, fuel prices, and infrastructure cost which has significantly increased the operational cost for any logistics company. There should be an incentive-based system where people building warehouses are rewarded, and the tenant gets the place at a much cheaper rate/sq. ft. The government should also consider investing heavily in automation and incentivizing warehouses that integrate these technologies. On the banking front, interest rates are very high. The interest rate on Capex investment must be decreased. Logistics is a manpower-intensive industry, and while the Skill Council is trying to upgrade the skillsets of human resources, we also need training institutes to train them in the latest technologies and promote R&D and innovation. We also need to bring diversity in the workforce and create equal opportunities for women and 3rd gender individuals. Lastly, with all the infrastructure development that the government is doing in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, if that gets expedited, then we get a better landscape to work. Today the metros are saturated. It’s time to focus and build the rest of India.”

Air Canada is preparing to expand its Vancouver, British Columbia, cargo terminal in preparation for receiving two 777 factory-built freighters from Boeing that will operate on trans-Pacific routes, said Jason Berry, vice president of cargo in a statement. The upgrade is part of a large program to improve cargo hubs across its network. Air Canada currently occupies a stand-alone facility that processes shipments moving on passenger aircraft at Vancouver International Airport. A tenant in an adjacent hangar is moving out and Air Canada will begin work in January on connecting and refurbishing the two buildings. “We’re in the early stages of just determining flow and process and how do you want it to look. It’s a big commitment for us,” Berry said.

Qantas Freight is expecting record volumes of freight in December as domestic demand surge due to increases in online shopping. The freighter operator said that it expects to carry around 26,000 tonnes of freight to domestic, regional and international cities, which would be an increase on last December’s record volumes and up around 50% on average monthly uplift. Meanwhile, domestic volumes are expected to be up around 75% on pre-Covid levels as online shopping deliveries ramp up. Qantas Freight operates 19 dedicated freighters domestically, including up to 16 for Australia Post, and four international freighters. Qantas executive manager for freight, Catriona Larritt, said: “Along with our partner Australia Post we’ve been planning for this bumper season since last Christmas. “We’ve seen huge increases in online shopping since the start of the pandemic and remains strong. “In the last few weeks of December, many people super-charge their online shopping sprees to take advantage of door-to-door express deliveries for themselves as well as gifts for family and friends.” To meet the demand, the company is rostering on more staff, using bigger aircraft and putting on special charter services. “In the busiest days leading up to Christmas we’ll carry around 1,200 tonnes of cargo, around double our daily average amount across our freight fleet and in the belly of passenger flights,” she added. “Our domestic services alone will be moving up to 650 tonnes on the busiest nights.” Australia Post general manager premium services and international Mark Davies added: “This year has been bigger than ever for us, in fact to help support the increase in parcel and mail volume we have increased our dedicated freighter capacity by up to 50% in the …

Cargolux and DB Schenker have added a direct API interface to their respective IT systems that will allow the forwarder to book capacity on the freighter operator’s aircraft. The carrier said that the connection would provide a direct interface between both companies’ systems to “generate tailored and immediate, bookable quotes”. Cargolux’s Austria, Spain and Portugal offices were selected to participate in the project. The interface offers dynamic pricing options based on specific requirements such as weight, routing, and product type. Cargolux executive vice president sales & marketing Domenico Ceci said: “The implementation of API offers customers more choice and flexibility when booking their cargo with us. “Launching this venture in collaboration with a key customer such as DB Schenker highlights both companies’ wish to pursue digitalisation and continue looking for innovative solutions in the industry.” Stefan Spriestersbach, head of production systems, DB Schenker global airfreight, added: “The new connectivity will further transform our joint process into the latest technology and is clearly a remarkable milestone of the professional collaboration. “This innovation brings benefit to all stakes of our transportation chain through digital proposition and exchange – Cargolux as preferred partner, our global customer base and the entire global Air Freight network of DB Schenker.”

Geodis officially put a newly built multi-user logistics facility into operation in Aurach, in the district of Ansbach. The new facility has direct transport links to the Nuremberg metropolitan region. It has 26,757 Euro pallet spaces in the high-bay warehouse and 9,000 m² of block storage space and is equipped with a photovoltaic system. With the new logistics center, GEODIS optimizes its market access to one of the economically strongest regions in Bavaria and continues its Europe-wide expansion as a global transport and logistics service provider. With 28 loading ramps and 4 ground-level gates, the new logistics center offers GEODIS’ e-commerce customer a wide range of services for the distribution of, for example, large electrical appliances, consumer electronics and furniture. Antje Lochmann, Managing Director of GEODIS Contract Logistics activities in Germany, is delighted with the successful start of operations at the logistics center. The first two halls were already equipped and began test operations in October. The 3rd and 4th halls were commissioned at the beginning of November. “In terms of transport links, our new logistics center in Aurach is directly connected to the A6 federal motorway, which is part of the important Paris-Prague long-distance connection. The project development and the construction of the new plant took place in close cooperation with more than ten companies. Added to this was the expertise of GEODIS colleagues from locations in France, Italy and Germany, who provided excellent support to the team in Aurach by adding their knowledge and experience during the planning and technical setup of our new WMS system,” said Antje Lochmann.