The Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) has announced its 24th Biennial Convention of the Federation to be held from August 12 to 14, 2022 at ITC Grand Chola in Chennai with the theme ‘Logistics – Reshape, Embrace and Surge in The Digital Era.’ The announcement was made during 4th Executive Meeting of FFFAI held on March 23, 2022 in Dubai. Elaborating on the 24th Biennial Convention, FFFAI Chairma, Shankar Shinde informed that the Convention would focus on innovative logistics embracing the digital era for surging ahead. FFFAI Convention is an opportunity for members to participate and network on one common platform with more than 450 delegates.

EKA, an electric vehicles and technology company, and a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries Limited, has announced entering into a long-term strategic collaboration, initiated through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with Bengaluru-headquartered advanced battery technology startup Log9 Materials. The partnership is mainly aimed to provide Log9’s fast-charging advanced battery solution RapidX for EKA’s new energy vehicles, including their recently-launched pure electric bus range, EKA E9 and soon-to-be-launched range of Light Commercial Vehicles.

Air France-KLM announced its decision to convert into a firm order the Letter of Intent it signed in December 2021 for the acquisition of four Airbus A350F full freighter aircraft – with purchase rights for an additional four aircraft. These aircraft will be operated by Air France and be based at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, the airline’s global hub, equipped with a state-of-art 14,000 square meters cargo terminal. These aircraft will increase Air France’s cargo capacity, which currently consists of two Boeing 777F, supplementing the belly capacity of the airline’s 100+ wide-body passenger aircraft.

Turkish Cargo has released a promotional film with comprehensive content related to the industry. The movie features Turkish Cargo’s services including its wide flight network, expertise in special cargo shipments and the Mega Cargo Facility, SMARTIST, the carrier’s brand-new hub at Istanbul Airport. Each section being meticulously prepared, the film also focuses on the logistics sector and air cargo transportation processes. Inspired by the cargo boxes, the film displays information on the air cargo activities and infrastructure of Turkish Cargo around the world.

O4S, one of the fastest-growing supply chain SaaS startups, has upgraded its Tech stack, in terms of both capabilities and features. O4S is investing deeply in developing strong capabilities to provide AI and Machine Learning capabilities to its clients in order to help them make the most of their data and to provide prescriptive insights into their supply chain. O4S will be developing its fine-grain reporting architecture on top of this massive horde of data from SKU/Product as it progresses through its life cycle. The company will enhance its main technological platform to usher in a distributed microservice paradigm in which the full journey of an SKU/Product may be replicated by a succession of atomic and idempotent services, hence enabling security, scale, and efficiency.

Institutional investments in Indian real estate touched USD1.1 billion during Q1 2022, doubling from the same period last year. The opening up of the economy post the third wave of Covid -19 infections, and an improvement in investors’ sentiment has led to surging investments, compared to the prior quarter. The investment activity during the quarter was driven by some large-sized deals in the office sector and foreign investors, that accounted for about 70 percent of the inflows during the quarter.

Parekh Integrated Services announced its growth plan for the upcoming decade at its 40th anniversary. This includes expanding the company’s portfolio and reach, while also adopting technology and automation across the supply chain network to increase efficiency. Implementing environment friendly and sustainable solutions into warehousing and logistics is another focus point of the company. Vikram Parekh, Chairman at Parekh Integrated Services said, “We are delighted to have completed 40 years in an industry as dynamic and competitive as logistics industry. We are also grateful for the trust and support offered to us by our clients.”

J M Baxi Group has signed an agreement to acquire Allcargo Logistics’ Project Forwarding and Logistics Business. It has also provided a binding offer to Lift and Shift India Private Limited (Lift and Shift), to acquire its heavy and over-dimension cargo logistics business. Lift and Shift has accepted the binding offer, which is subjected to the execution of a definitive agreement for the business transfer between the parties. Both transactions are subject to completion, which is expected in the coming weeks. On completion, both businesses will merge into J M Baxi Heavy Pvt. Ltd.

FM Logistic has expanded its warehousing footprint to service large fulfilment requirements in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by taking the handover of its 3.7 lakhs sq. ft. facility at Welspun One Logistics Parks’ (WOLP) flagship park in Bhiwandi. The project was delivered as per agreed timelines despite pandemic related lockdowns and disruptions. With this handover, FM Logistic will have access to a Grade A warehousing facility built according to global standards. The project is MIDC-approved and is 100 per cent compliant with statutory building, safety, and fire norms.

Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) has implemented Dakosy’s FAIR@Link digital ramp control system to reduce truck waiting times for cargo collections and deliveries. The slot booking tool allows FCS, an affiliate of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), to optimise the allocation of truck ramps by allowing freight forwarders delivering and collecting cargoes for FCS’ airline customers to digitally reserve ramps for loading and unloading, speeding up the handling process. “This standardised approach allows FCS to use its facility infrastructure more efficiently, counteracts peak times, and increases the ability for all parties to plan and utilise their resources efficiently,” said an official statement.