To strengthen its sustainable logistics initiative, Bolloré Logistics India is deploying a fleet of trucks running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at its facilities in Mumbai, Bangalore & Chennai. Several studies conducted on CNG claim that the use of this alternative fuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% to 16%. Investing in CNG is essential for Bolloré Logistics India to reduce air pollution as CNG produces far fewer particulate emissions than diesel trucks, said an official release. “Developing low carbon impact transportation plans has become essential for road transportation. Bolloré Logistics India is actively investing in more sustainable transport solutions.” said Pranay Meshram, Road Transport Manager, India. For now, there are four CNG trucks which are carrying out intra-urban distribution operations in India. To date, the trucks have covered more than 35,000 km, reducing CO2 emissions by 6.5 tons. The company aims to gradually increase its CNG truck fleet to connect more locations by 2023. The CNG trucks have a total capacity of 9.5 metric tons & 42 cubic metres, allowing the distribution of high-tech & luxury products throughout India. To further reduce the environmental impact of the logistics sector, Bolloré Logistics has improved its processes by using an algorithm that allows the grouping of transported products. More than 270 orders have been grouped in this way, which has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 9 tons in the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. This program will be extended across all subsidiaries by Q1 of 2023 & is expected to reduce emissions by 20 tons per year.

Freight forwarders are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach before making long-term air cargo capacity commitments as airlines saw demand drop 2% month-over-month in November as general airfreight volumes dipped for a ninth consecutive month, dashing hopes of a late peak season boost, according to the latest weekly market by CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta. Chargeable weight in November was -8% versus the same month of 2021, although the 1% reduction in global air cargo capacity, as airlines adapted to winter schedules, contributed to a stable ‘dynamic load factor’ of 61%, on a par with the previous month, based on the volume and weight perspectives of cargo flown and capacity available. Load factor, however, continued to sit well below last year’s extraordinary peak season. For instance, Europe to North America load factor in the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday sat at 74% this year, down 12% from the same week last year. Amidst so much market uncertainty, industry parties are increasingly choosing shorter-term deals as they wait to see how business trends unfold in the coming months. Distribution of contract rates for shippers shows commitments of over three-month contracts hardly exist in Q4 this year.

Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with the construction of 19 logistic service zones worth nearly 29 billion Saudi riyals ($7.7 billion) in investment value in partnership with the private sector. Saudi has already established several such zones at key seaports and has invited the private sector for similar projects, said official reports. The country aims to ‘create a solid logistics base’ to become one of the largest hubs in this field in line with the country’s economic diversification scheme ‘Vision2030.’ Heavy investment in logistics and transport in the Kingdom has largely expanded the sector and boosted its contribution to GDP to 16 percent in 2021 and now the country is working to establish 19 logistics zones in Riyadh, Jeddah, King Abdullah Economic City and other areas in the Kingdom. Tese projects provide investment opportunities to the private sector worth nearly 29 billion riyals, reports added.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $250 million policy-based loan to support Indian government’s wide-ranging reforms that aim to improve and modernise the country’s logistics infrastructure, increase efficiency, and reduce the cost. The loan will fund the first sub-programme of the Strengthening Multimodal and Integrated Logistics Ecosystem Program, said an official press release. The sub-programme supports the government’s efforts to create a comprehensive policy, planning, and institutional framework at the federal, state, and city levels. This will rationalise India’s high cost of logistics and reduce greenhouse gas emission, the release added. To facilitate multimodal logistics, the sub-programme promotes reforms that reduce cumbersome processes that businesses face to obtain approvals for cargo clearance as well as the creation of digital systems that integrate regulations, processes, and logistics data. The programme promotes the facilitation of cargo movement through coastal shipping and inland waterways to strengthen multimodal transport. The programme also supports the ministry of commerce and industry’s initiatives to issue standards for warehousing, which would encourage operational efficiency and private sector investment.

Quikjet Airlines has successfully relaunched its own freighter flights with a leased B737-800(BCF) commencing revenue services in early December. The airline took delivery of VT-AAZ (formerly N120MN) (msn 30643) in August while reapplying for its air operator’s certificate after a change in its shareholder structure. The carrier (VT-AAZ) initiated revenue flights with a Hyderabad Int’l – Coimbatore – Hyderabad – Bangalore Int’l – Hyderabad rotation. FlightRadar24 ADS-B data shows the plane has flown a significant number of sectors within India since then, said official reports. The 20.74-year-old jet comes on a lease from Arena Aviation Capital via the MAM Aircraft Leasing 30643 (Ireland) DAC special purpose vehicle. Founded in 2007, QuikJet formerly operated an ATR72-200(F), B737-300(F), and B737-400(SF) but suspended in-house flying in 2017 when it retired its B737-400SF. At the time, QuikJet was majority owned by ASL Aviation Holdings but that group has since sold down its stake to minority status and now supply-chain mogul Cyrus Guzder owns 51% of the business.

According to the E-Handbook on Warehousing Standards, released recently by the Warehousing Association of India, ‘Digital Twins’ and ‘Industry 4.0’, can transform the future of warehousing in India and enhance logistics efficiency and cost-competitiveness. Digital twins in warehousing lets companies design, simulate, and test new warehouse operations and product movements virtually, before starting up new sites or making changes within existing sites. As technology drives innovation, the warehouse of today will transform into an increasingly digital environment in future, it stated. WMS enables consistent performance at a low cost. Change will be driven with real- time transaction processing, optimised storage, and selection strategies, directed task management, and integrated labour standards. Operational and strategic teams need to be able to make accurate decisions about ongoing situations. Real-time visibility provides actionable information that can help swiftly adapt plans, improve processes, minimize threats and maximize opportunities. With the advent of Industry 4.0, technology has aided visibility and real-time decisions. From RFID tags, IoT sensors and cloud- based management systems, the real-time supply chain has enabled greater agility and flexibility via machine learning and predictive data analysis. The advantages conferred by supply chain visibility may be individually small, but they can be applied to every movement, operation and transaction in a supply chain, thereby saving time and creating efficiencies that add up to significant savings.

The National Logistics Policy (NLP), launched by the Government of India in September 2022, aims to promote the seamless movement of goods, overcome transport-related challenges, encourage digitisation and significantly reduce logistics time and cost. The policy is aimed at reducing India’s logistics cost considerably and bringing its percentage of GDP in line with the developed economies. Reduced logistics costs shall help improve India’s competitiveness, both in the domestic and export markets, by improving efficiency across all sectors,” said Suprio Banerjee, Vice-President & Sector Head, ICRA Limited. He added, “The Introduction of NLP is a long-term positive for the Indian logistics industry, given its overall focus on attaining better integration of different modes of transport, which in turn shall lead to faster turnaround and higher efficiency. It is also expected to lower the cost of logistics by reducing the over-dependence on the road sector, thereby reducing congestion and ensuring better asset utilisation. Implementation challenges, however, are expected as multiple agencies, stakeholders, and physical entities are involved, which will require proper coordination for the successful implementation of the policy. The implementation will also entail heavy capital investments to be policy-compliant. The benefits of the policy should also be evaluated against its compliance costs. Nonetheless, the long-term benefits of the policy will outweigh the short-term challenges.” The salient features of the NLP include setting key targets, which include a reduction in the logistics cost in India to be comparable to global benchmarks by 2030 and be among the top 25 countries by 2030 (currently ranked at 44) in the logistics performance index rankings as also creating a data-driven decision support mechanism for an efficient logistics ecosystem. The policy will be implemented through an …

AA Holdings announced a strategic partnership with logistic development company, Avinya Industrial and Logistic Park to empower all small landlords and aggregators across the country to develop quality warehousing infrastructure. Through this partnership, the two entities aim to develop 20 million square feet of land parcels across the country in the next 3 years to contribute meaningfully towards the creation of a warehousing ecosystem at the grass root level. The joint venture will play a pivotal role in further expanding the burgeoning warehousing infrastructure development in the country which is currently limited to the top 8-10 cities only. This will enable local landlords and aggregators to acquire the necessary skill sets and knowledge to attract the right clients and make the right use of their real estate assets as India looks forward to becoming a $5 trillion economy. Commenting on the launch of his new venture, Abhijit Verma, Managing Director, AA Holdings said, “India is the fastest growing warehousing market in the world propelled by the rapid growth of e-commerce, introduction of the Goods and Services Tax and the improved in road infrastructure. These factors have unlocked immense potential to develop land parcels into prime warehousing properties and bring prosperity to the land owners by imparting the right knowledge in the best use of the asset and inculcating the necessary skill sets. Through this new venture, we aim to be a catalyst and leverage their grassroot knowledge to help them emerge as developers by imparting the right business acumen, helping them connect with clients and guide them in the best use of their assets. With Avinya, we found synergies in our vision of transforming the warehousing market in India by …

JD Logistics has opened its second warehouse in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates to enhance global logistics network, and to provide end-to-end supply chain services covering Asia, Africa and Europe for local and cross-border merchants. Twenty-minute drive from the Port of Jebel Ali, this warehouse is located in Dubai Industrial City, with an area of 12,000 square meters, providing logistics services ranging from concentrated transportation, sea transportation, air transportation, transition, customs clearance to warehousing, sorting, labeling, drop shipping and more, for both bulky and small to medium-sized products, and meeting both B2C and B2B fulfilment requirements. Adopting JD Logistics’ self-developed management system, the warehouse can digitally manage inbound and outbound inventory, thus precisely predicting the trends and allocating distribution resources accordingly to improve logistics efficiency, said release. Siyuan Yue, head of JD Logistics Dubai Warehouse said, “Powered by digital capabilities, JD’s warehouse in Dubai provides clients with integrated logistics solutions, optimizing the international transportation routes greatly.” As early as in 2020, JD Logistics began to operate in the Middle East, and its first warehouse was launched in the largest free trade zone in the region, Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), offering logistics services spanning GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and reaching to continent Africa.

Drones operators Skye Air Mobility and Redcliffe Labs have partnered to start a Long Term Drone Pilot Flight from the distant highlands of Uttarkashi to Sahastradhara, Dehradun, said reports. “The Redcliffe test samples are sent to the Dehradun Redcliffe Labs in 90 minutes through drone delivery from their collecting center in Uttarkashi. In order to deliver affordable and high-quality diagnostic services to the citizens of Uttarkashi, Redcliffe Labs will be flying daily flights for both routine and specialty test sample collection. Redcliffe Labs is the first diagnostic firm in India to use drones to carry samples, guaranteeing that individuals living in smaller towns or distant locations have access to high-quality, affordable diagnostics,” added reports. Ankit Kumar, CEO of Skye Air Mobility said, “The current form of logistics simply does not work for the healthcare industry in such a terrain geography. The need is to have a solution which is providing a faster, sustainable and scalable supply; drones rightly fit into elevating delivery, the Skye Air way. We are enthused to take our partnership with Redcliffe Labs to the next level of beginning long term flights helping the residents of Uttarkashi to get advantage from such services. Skye Air is working together towards a mission to impact lives at large and with our partners here, we are one step ahead in that journey.”