The logistics and air cargo industry is expected to maintain an impressive growth trajectory, driven by factors like robust economic growth, increased consumer spending, and the expansion of e-commerce, says Xerrxes Master, President of AMTOI. The Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India recently held its Annual Ball celebrations in Mumbai. The event brought together industry leaders, stakeholders, and esteemed guests from across the country, providing an exceptional networking platform and fostering collaborative opportunities. During the Gala Dinner, AMTOI honoured its illustrious past presidents and stalwarts, recognizing their visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the growth and development of the multimodal transport sector in India. The event also celebrated completion of 150 years of Mumbai port trust and felicitated Rajiv Jalota, Chairman of MbPT. “We are immensely proud of the accomplishments of our past presidents and stalwarts, who have been instrumental in steering AMTOI to new heights. This Gala Dinner not only celebrated our Annual Day but also paid homage to the visionary leaders who have shaped the destiny of our association. We enjoyed an enchanting evening filled with shared memories, insightful conversations, and renewed commitments to drive the multimodal transport industry towards a prosperous future.”

cargo-partner has opened a new iLogistics Center with 20,000 m² of warehouse space in Istanbul. Close to the new Istanbul airport and the region’s main seaports, and ideally connected to Europe via North Marmara Highway, the Center offers a wide range of logistics services to cargo-partner’s customers in Turkey. With a total storage area of 20,000 m², including 5,850 m² of bonded warehouse space, cargo-partner’s iLogistics Center Istanbul represents a new milestone for the company’s organization in Turkey. The new iLogistics Center will create more than 85 new jobs, increasing the total number of cargo-partner employees in Turkey to almost 250 by the end of the year. The warehouse provides a capacity of more than 20,000 pallet slots and has 17 loading docks for all vehicle types, enabling fast transshipment, customs bonded warehousing and distribution throughout the region. The facility’s modern design allows for efficient handling and storage of oversized goods, flexible multi-modal services and comprehensive high-tech logistics solutions.

Etihad Cargo has appointed Wallenborn Transports as its road feeder service (RFS) partner for Europe to expand its scheduled and specialised services across 27 countries, facilitating the transportation of cargo between Etihad Cargo’s main European gateways, including Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, and offline stations. Etihad Cargo’s customers will benefit from the complete transparency provided by integrated telematics technology. “Providing seamless connectivity between Etihad Cargo’s European main freighter gateways and offline destinations is essential to meeting the carrier’s delivery promises,” said Etihad Cargo’s Head of Cargo Operations and Delivery, Thomas Schürmann. “Strategic partnerships with leading RFS providers such as Wallenborn strengthen Etihad Cargo’s value proposition and will enable the carrier to further expand operations in Europe, which is a key territory for the airline. “Etihad Cargo remains committed to being the air cargo partner of choice and is achieving this through the provision of fast, efficient and reliable transportation of cargo from its arrival in-country to its final destination.”

Freight forwarders and ground handlers face pain points like limited transparency, lack of visibility and infra within the air cargo ecosystem, says Sanjay Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, AISATS. These pain points not only create operational inefficiencies but also increase the overall cost of logistics, he adds saying, “AISATS’s upcoming multimodal cargo hub (MMCH) infra and cutting-edge technologies work to bring greater transparency and visibility to even the most complex cargo processes through digital documentation, real-time cargo tracking and predictive analytics for cargo delivery times.” Traditional air cargo gateways also tend to experience infrastructure bottlenecks and capacity challenges due to warehousing and logistics constraints. Our integrated approach allows us to leverage efficient design layouts and advanced technologies to alleviate these bottlenecks and optimize cargo flows, he further adds. “Technologies such as COSYS+, automated material handling systems, autonomous vehicles (for direct connectivity between the ICT and IWLZ), RFID trackers, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning allow for a higher cargo throughput across less space with lower dwell times at the AISATS MMCH. Our Single Window Airport Cargo Community and Trucking Center will reduce these bottlenecks even further. We know how to process cargo through a multi-modal cargo hub with a deft combination of cutting-edge infrastructure, digital processes and timely data sharing, and this expertise allows us to overcome the usual bottlenecks to efficiently provide multi-modal just-in-time cargo facilities, with seamless connectivity and integration at reduced costs.”

An analysis of the data by Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) indicates, India’s merchandise exports have undergone a major shift in recent years. India’s share in the global export of machinery, phones, automobiles and petroleum has grown significantly between 2015 and 2022. Meanwhile, there has been a marked decline in India’s share in its traditional export items such as gems and jewellery, apparel, meat and leather articles. Exports of textiles, clothing and made-ups, for instance, fell by about 17% y-o-y in FY2023. The data shows India’s exports in the category called electronics, telecom, mobile phone etc., jumped from $7.9 bn in 2015 to $26.6 bn in 2022 — from 0.41% share of world market to 0.71%, a 73% rise. In machinery, India’s global market share rose from 0.75% to 1.05%, a growth of 40%. Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) shows India’s exports in the category called electronics, telecom, mobile phone etc., jumped from $7.9 bn in 2015 to $26.6 bn in 2022 — from 0.41% share of world market to 0.71%, a 73% rise. In machinery, India’s global market share rose from 0.75% to 1.05%, a growth of 40%.

Mahindra Logistics is in the process of revamping the operations of its subsidiary, 2×2 Logistics to boost the company’s automotive outbound logistics business, which caters to the four-wheeler and two-wheeler industries. The revamp involves a number of initiatives, including the refreshing of 2×2 Logistics’ fleet of vehicles, dome conversions, increasing the average running time of the vehicles and reworking routes, new technology solutions, and the strengthening of its customer relationships. 2×2 Logistics provides logistics and transportation services to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to carry finished automobiles from the manufacturing/assembly locations to stockyards or directly to distributors through specially designed vehicles. It owns and operates 150+ vehicle carriers. Mahindra Logistics, which owns 55 percent of the company, partnered with Indian Vehicle Carriers (IVC) in 2014 to form the entity.

Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) unveiled its newly renovated runway. The second largest cargo hub in the Netherlands has invested EUR35.3 million to upgrade the airstrip as part of a plan to extend its operational length to 2,750 meters by January 2025. The eight-week renovation was part of Maastricht Aachen Airport’s overall infrastructure development plan to invest EUR100 million in the airport over the coming years. Sustainability was the key theme of the ceremony, with an electric plane used to officially open the runway after RWTH Aachen University professor Dr Günther Schuh delivered a speech on the future of sustainable aviation. “Today, we are celebrating the launch of our newly improved runway and looking back over the hard work that has gone into the planning and execution of this project – but we are also looking forward,” said Jos Roeven, Chief Executive Officer, Maastricht Aachen Airport.

Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) has partnered with Salesforce and Vonage to implement a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution and improve customer services. By implementing the new single-platform CRM solution, integrated with a contact centre solution, AFKLMP Cargo aims to streamline customer processes and provide faster, better service by phone and digital channels, with more tailored support. Using technology from Salesforce and Vonage, customer service teams get a full 360-degree view of customers, allowing them to personalise interactions and provide tailored support across all channels. The full solution includes integrated telephony and AI-driven insights designed for an improved omnichannel service experience.

Neutral Air Partner launched its new air cargo logistics ecosystem with six sub-industry networks during its annual OPENAP conference last May in Greece. This year, NAP has reformed and strengthened its air cargo logistics platform, enabling members to network more efficiently with six sub-industry networks. The new structure provides air cargo logistics firms with the opportunity to apply for membership in a sub-industry network tailored to their specialization and the company’s core industry sector activities. Membership in Neutral Air Partner is an exclusive privilege extended to a selected number of elite local and regional airfreight professionals. Selection criteria ensure only the most suitable partners with niche-specific expertise are part of the network.

India Cargo Awards 2023 is back to honour and appreciate the hard work of the ‘Heroes’ of the Indian Air Cargo and Logistics fraternity. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023 is all set to be held on 24 July 2023, 7 pm at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. The annual awards hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the Cargo Industry.