Category Archives: Aviation

  Pramod Sant, Director General, FFFAI says, “Skilling is the need of the hour. Skilling in cold chain is critical. People who are handling the supply chain, they are not fully trained they lack the talent and skill so you face the challenges in the area of the skill also and in each area you need to be handling it in a really separate way and at the same time between each area how you look at the collaboration is very. These challenges could be overcome by the technology, it can help in temperature maintaining and ensuring that the cold there are no gaps in cold chain.”

Sabari Ramnath, Global Lead, Travel and Transportation Solutions at Unisys says, “Cold chain transportation is highly sensitive to time and temperature. Any deviation can harm product quality, leading to financial losses, reputation damage, and regulatory issues. Technology helps mitigate these risks by optimizing routes to ensure timely delivery and providing real-time visibility into shipment conditions. This allows close monitoring at every stage. Advanced AI and machine learning models can further prevent spoilage, improving efficiency and reliability across the cold chain.”

  Kamal Jain, Director, Cargomen Logistics says, “Cold chain logistics in India face challenges like limited infrastructure, unreliable power, high operational costs, skilled workforce shortages, and inefficient last-mile delivery. Technology can help by enabling real-time monitoring through IoT, AI-driven optimization, blockchain for traceability, and advanced refrigeration systems. Drones can improve last-mile delivery, overcoming poor infrastructure and traffic issues. These solutions can reduce spoilage, enhance efficiency, lower operational costs, and modernize cold chain systems, addressing key logistical and regulatory hurdles.”

Bonita Swilet Pereira, GM – Head of Pharma, WIZ, says, “The pharmaceutical industry faces challenges in maintaining cold chain product transportation due to temperature fluctuations, which can affect the efficacy of life-saving drugs. The industry operates in a fragmented and unorganized market, with challenges in packaging, storage conditions, distribution methods, equipment/ vehicle conditions. These issues lead to temperature fluctuations, delays, wastage, damage, and financial loss. To address these issues, the use of technology and drones can help improve the cold chain infrastructure. Implementing blockchain can improve & create a secure & transparent platform capturing data at every interaction in the supply chain. Drones can help overcome transit delays & maintain product shelf life, especially for life-critical demands like accidents or pandemic shortages. Usage of digital equipments like data loggers help to register temperature, humidity, shock & vibrations during storage & transport. Artificial intelligence and IoT can help in optimizing operational efficiency by providing real-time tracking. AI can further be developed to proactively respond to demand changes and disruptions and shoot alerts through their milestone tracking platforms. WIZ enables real time tracking solution to cater to the time sensitive solutions with vision for digital supply chains.”

Afzal Malbarwala, MD, Galaxy Freight says, “Main Challenges in cold chain product transportation include temperature fluctuations, long transit times, and limited access to remote areas, which can lead to spoilage and reduced product quality. Technology, like IoT sensors, enables real-time temperature monitoring, ensuring optimal conditions throughout the journey. Drones can significantly reduce delivery times, particularly in remote locations, enhancing last-mile delivery efficiency while maintaining product integrity.”

  The Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI), in its 25th Annual General Meet (AGM) elected Arun Kumar, Managing Director at InSynergy Supply Chain Solutions as the new President. The meet was held yesterday in Mumbai.

Digital innovation and adoption of latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Block Chain, Internet of Things, process innovation, collaboration, regulated environment, efficient cross border logistics and skilling, will going to transform the future of cold chain storage and logistics in India, discussed experts at the ongoing Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) 2024 in Hyderabad. The panel focused on the ‘Evolving cold chain infrastructure in India and Airports becoming the powerhouses.’ Focus was not only laid on improving the infrastructure for cold chain products handling and transportation but also on evolving consumer preferences, tastes and purchasing power which require seamless and resilient supply chain and end-to-end transparency and visibility.

Geodis obtains IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification. With healthcare as a key strategic growth sector, GEODIS is committed to achieving pharmaceutical handling excellence in ensuring safety, security, compliance, and efficiency through a globally consistent and recognized pharmaceutical-product handling standard throughout the region. In the APAC and Middle East region, the newly certified Sydney (Australia) site joins the existing regional network of CEIV Pharma-certified locations in China (PVG), Indonesia (CGK), India (DEL & BOM), South Korea (ICN), Thailand (BKK), United Arab Emirates (DXB) and Singapore (SIN).  GEODIS now operates a total of 29 CEIV Pharma certified sites across its global network spanning the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. These certifications highlight the substantial investment GEODIS has made in its healthcare capabilities, establishing GEODIS as a key provider for pharma and healthcare companies.

“An Open Sky Policy is essential for improving air freight operations by significantly improving market dynamics and operational efficiency. Allowing airlines greater freedom to operate on different routes and eliminating restrictive agreements enables increased competition amongst carriers,” says Nikhil Agarwal, President, CJ Darcl Logistics. He adds, ” This competition often results in benefits for cost-effective and timely cargo operations. Additionally, an Open Sky Policy promotes expanded route networks, enhancing connectivity between major global hubs. This broader network enables more frequent flights and flexible scheduling, crucial for meeting the needs of modern supply chains requiring agility and precision. The ability to adjust routes and frequencies based on real-time demand can shorten transit times and optimize cargo flow, thus improving overall logistics efficiency. Moreover, the increased number of airlines and flights can enhance service levels and provide more options for cargo shippers, ultimately benefiting the global supply chain and stimulating economic growth.”

“In preparation for the upcoming festive season, Amazon India announced the launch of three new fulfillment centers in Delhi NCR, Guwahati and Patna. These new fulfilment centers, along with the expansion of Amazon’s existing fulfillment network, will significantly boost delivery speeds for customers in North and East India. The investment will help sellers across these states better serve their customers by placing selection closer to customers and create thousands of new job opportunities providing an economic impetus to the region. These jobs entail a variety of roles in Amazon’s operations network, including full time and part time opportunities. All these buildings are ready and operational ahead of the upcoming festive season and will collectively support more than 2.5 lakh sellers across Delhi NCR, Bihar and Assam. Most buildings in Amazon’s operations network are designed with state-of-the art technology, efficient building systems to minimize energy usage. They are designed to be net water zero with initiatives such as rainwater collection tanks, recharge wells to replenish water into aquifers, sewage treatment plants etc. As an inclusive place to work, Amazon FCs are designed to make them accessible to people with disabilities.”