Category Archives: Rail/Road

Adani Logistics (ALL) have signed an agreement with NYK Auto Logistics India (NALI) to form a joint venture which specialises at strengthening finished vehicles transportation service network in India. Automobile sector is witnessing rapid growth. Loading activity in this sector increased by 16 per cent in 2017-18. This growth, coupled with government of India’s focus on promoting alternative means of transportation to reduce carbon footprint, increasing demand of transporting vehicles through rail mode is gaining traction. The JV company will participate in AFTO Policy of Ministry of Railways and offer its automobile freight trains for transporting vehicles across India in more efficient manner and will contribute towards green India.

Eicher Trucks & Buses has introduced two new heavy-duty trucks, taking its vision of modernising commercial transportation further. Riding on the success of its Pro 6000 series, the company launched two new technologically superior trucks – Eicher Pro 6049 and Eicher Pro 6041 in the 49 tonnes and 41 tonnes categories respectively. The new tractor trailer – Eicher Pro 6049 has been designed to deliver optimum performance and peak power at 250 HP keeping customer profitability in mind. It manifests the prowess of the Eicher Pro 6000 series and offers a refined trucking experience with the superior VEDX BS IV SCR engine, newly designed ergonomics and robust Eicher aggregates for best in-class fuel efficiency. Eicher Pro 6041 is India’s first 41 tonnage rigid haulage truck and offers a payload advantage of 3.5 tonnes over a 37-tonnage truck. The vehicle is powered by VEDX8 engine, which is the biggest and the most fuel-efficient engine available in the category. The product is a revolutionary breakthrough in the trucking industry, to meet growing demand in high value applications.

Celebi has recently launched CargoCEL Truck app for online booking of bonded and non-bonded trucking services. This user-friendly interface not only provides instant online booking and confirmation but also offers real-time visibility of the shipment. It is a comprehensive call free solution which manages bookings through dashboard. The app has features like track and trace, first mile and last mile services, SMS and email alerts and online transaction through payment gateway. The app can book truck for PAN India destinations with economic transit cost. Ramesh Mamidala, CEO, Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India, said “Our customers can now book online the bonded and non-bonded trucks for their cargo by logging on to www.cargoceltruck.in. This app will facilitate customers to smartly organise their bookings, save cost, real-time visibility and in future pay online too.” Mamidala adds, “Currently, Celebi is operating bonded trucks from Kanpur and Ludhiana. We plan to increase it to 10 stations by end of this year.” Sanjiv Edward, CCO, DIAL, said “The initiative of Celebi to consolidate customers on a single platform for a reliable bonded / non-bonded booking for trucks is highly appreciated and DIAL will fully support to make it a success.” Akash Bansal, Executive Director, Om Logistics, said, “We are long term partners with Celebi for any trucking requirements and are willing to provide a customised solution to make it a value preposition for all  stakeholders in business.”

Raaja Kanwar, Managing Director, Apollo Logisolutions, says, “The E-way bill will play an essential role in setting a unified benchmark for business across the country. In the logistics industry, it is imperative to have proper systems, processes and procedures for the movement of goods. Logistics business faces a lot of issues with respect to offsite cargos and return of goods. With the implementation of the E-way bill, the process will become more transparent and smooth. We sensed the importance and significance of the growing technology, including the E-way bill, and are ready to leverage the opportunity for our clients. Though the implementation will take some time, this is a much-needed initiative which aims to safeguard self-sustaining tax administration with increased dependence on self-reporting.”

The Indo-Iran Joint Business Seminar, focussing on Chabahar Port opportunities in Free Zone and Transit Corridors, was held in the capital recently to update all the stakeholders about developments happening at Chabahar port and investment opportunities available in transport and logistics sector. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India spoke about the initiatives taken by the Government of India to enhance bilateral cooperation in the maritime sector. Dr. Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Islamic Republic of Iran talks about crossing corridors from Iran which connects India to the international markets, i.e. Nort-South which connects India to Russia, Caucasus & CIS, South-West which connects India to Europe and India-Iran-Afghanistan which is connecting India to Afghanistan from Chabahar (road) or from Bandar Abbas (railroad).

The Uttar Pradesh government is drafting its own logistics policy, as higher industrial activity, economic growth and the government’s recent policy decisions are triggering unprecedented growth in the sector. “With both the Eastern and the Western freight corridors and several industrial corridors passing through Uttar Pradesh, we are at a good position to take advantage of this logistics revolution which we expect to see in the next two years,” Rajiv Kumar, Chief Secretary, UP State Government. The policy will entail the establishment of at least five industrial parks across the state; the smallest with an investment of Rs 200 crore. The policy will also include various incentives for logistics players if they invest in this sector in the state.

The third edition of the India Cargo Awards – North & East celebrated the accomplishments of the cargo industry of North & East India at The Lalit, New Delhi on December 20, 2017. Salman Khurshid, former Cabinet Minister for External Affairs, former Cabinet Minister for Law and Justice and Minority Affairs, Government of India, was the Chief Guest for the distinguished evening. The ceremony saw the august presence of the leaders and runners of the cargo industry. The 39 winners were chosen after a fair and unbiased selection process which includes an online voting platform.

Piyush Goyal has replaced Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu as the Minister of Railways. Goyal was the MoS (I/C) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines in the Government of India. He will reportedly get to manage his power portfolio as well. He is currently a Member of Rajya Sabha and was earlier the National Treasurer of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He headed the BJP’s Information Communication Campaign Committee and oversaw the publicity and advertising campaign of the party including the social media outreach for the Indian General Elections 2014. He is an all-India second rank holder Chartered Accountant and second rank holder in Law in Mumbai University. He was a well-known investment banker and he has advised top corporates on management strategy and growth. He earlier served on the Board of India’s largest commercial bank, the State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda.

Kashipur Infrastructure & Freight Terminals (KIFTPL), a Joint Venture between Apollo LogiSolutions Limited (ALS) and Indian Glycols Limited (IGL), has launched first EXIM (Export-Import) train from Inland Container Depot (ICD) Kashipur. Ajay Tamta, Minister of State for Textiles, Government of India flagged off the train covering connecting Kashipur with Mundra port. The EXIM train will be servicing all gateway port/ports like Mundra and Pipavav. The state-of-the-art private freight terminal in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, is spread over 41 acres of land, to cater the logistics requirements of region. Nearly 84 rakes of domestic transportations equivalent to 15000 TEUs of throughput has already taken place from this terminal since its operation. Raaja Kanwar, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Apollo International said, “This is a significant step towards building integrated logistics capabilities to provide better facilities to our hinterland customers in the near future.”

DB Schenker has announced the launch of its LANDbridge product in the Indian subcontinent. The international road service from the company’s road portfolio in Asia Pacific has grown with the recent Bangalore-Dhaka cross-border shipments piloted with Linde Gas India. This 2,000 km road routing involved passage through three different Indian states and clearance procedures at the Petrapole-Benapole border to enter the capital city of Dhaka. The coordination and establishment of the India-Bangladesh route opens the door to more possibilities in the region, enabling DB Schenker to cater to more industries and customers. Commenting on the development, Gregory Loh, Director, LANDbridge product, said, “The company’s focus on cross-border road solutions in Asia is not confined to Southeast Asia or China. DB Schenker is committed to push the envelope further afield and deliver solutions to more companies moving cargo within mainland Asia.”