Category Archives: Supply Chain

The national cold chain sector is expected to grow at over 20% CAGR by 2025, according to JLL, due to its transformation from conventional cold storage to modern storage space. The estimates are based on the sector’s performance over the past few months, where despite the post-Covid economic impediments, the organised cold chain segment has seen significant growth in country-wide footprint. According to JLL, there is an opportunity for organised cold storage / palettized cold storage in Tier-I cities like Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad as well as Tier-II cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Ranchi. Patna, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Coimbatore. An additional 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh pallet capacity (frozen and chilled) may be added as part of temperature-controlled storage space in the next two to three years. “Automation in the logistics sector will only become more pronounced in the coming years and we see innovation in the multimodal and cold supply chain as catalysts for new segments of demand. Both from the equity and lending community, the appetite for the yield in the industrial sector is likely to further drive the investor demand for cold chain facilities,” said Yogesh Shevade, Head – Industrial Services, JLL, India. “The rationale behind the expansion is primarily driven by capturing higher market share by organised cold chain operators, changing consumer behavior for quality products, and securing supply reliability in a pandemic like situation,” he added.

The NHAI announced exempting tankers and containers carrying liquid medical oxygen from user fee at toll plazas across national highways. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today announced exempting tankers and containers carrying liquid medical oxygen (LMO) from user fee at toll plazas across national highways. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a statement issued today has said that in order to provide uninterrupted passage for tankers and containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across National Highways, the user fee for such vehicles at toll plazas has been exempted as the country is battling a surge in covid-19 cases in the country. These containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen will be treated at par with other emergency vehicles such as ambulances for a period of two months or till further orders. “Although the toll plazas have nearly zero waiting time after implementation of FASTag, National Highways Authority of India is already providing priority passage to such vehicles for quick and seamless transportation of medical oxygen. Instructions have also been issued by NHAI to all its officials and other stakeholders to assist the government and private efforts to fight the pandemic in helping them in pro-active manner,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

CargoTalk is organizing its fifth conclave on May 18, 2021. With eminent speakers from the trade, the focus will be on supply chain complexities in a never normal world. The summit will discuss the congestion issue the industry is currently facing and using real-time visibility to combat the port congestion disruptions. As this port congestion continues to cause downstream effects throughout the supply chain, industry is looking for insight into how delays will impact their shipments so they can remain agile and adjust plans as needed. Speakers will include Samit Datta, Head, Global Supply Chain, IT, Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence, Piramal Glass and Huseni Vohra, Director – Business Development, APAC, project44.

OOCL Logistics is delighted to introduce PODIUM® Precision, the next-generation end-to-end supply chain technology that processes multiple real-time data sources to offer full visibility, convenient traceability and enhanced transparency on every shipment.PODIUM® Precision markedly improves collaboration and decision-making at every stage of the supply chain by leveraging intelligent data processing, automation, and performance optimization methods supported by today’s industry-leading technologies. With accurate predictive analytics capabilities, PODIUM® Precision provides new levels of insight in supply chain management and optimization which greatly contributes to the decision-making process when mitigating for any potential risks or unexpected shipment disruption events.

Switch Mobility (Switch or the company), the UK-based developer of electrified buses and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, the Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer, have joined hands with TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) for establishing a sustainable logistics network. Under the arrangement, TVS SCS will operate 1000 eLCVs through their partners for its logistics operations provided by Switch. TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) has over two decades of experience in providing supply chain solutions across the globe through their fully integrated service offerings. Commenting on the announcement, Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Switch Mobility, said, “TVS SCS are always forward looking in their initiatives and discerning in their choice of products and solutions. We are happy that they have given an opportunity to Switch Mobility to provide their need for emission free transport solutions that are efficient, cost effective and reliable. Switch will play a big role in faster adoption of sustainable mobility both in India and overseas.” Sharing his comments, Nitin Seth, Director Switch Mobility, said, “Partnerships like these are testament to the trust our customers have reposed in us. While we have just begun our journey, we are already seeing tremendous response for our products and technologies. Switch provides an energy efficient and zero-emission solution in a segment, where customers have been waiting for the right offering. We are proud that we are leading the change and steadily marching towards a sustainable and carbon-free electric mobility.” R Dinesh, Managing Director, TVS Supply Chain Solutions, said, “We are glad to partner with Switch Mobility who are pioneers in bringing future-ready technology into transportation. TVS SCS has always been an early adopter of emerging technology and it’s …

Taking the supply chain to next level, Locus has released a smart supply chain decision-making platform ‘Locus NodeIQ’ which enables companies to perform end-to-end network and inventory optimization. Locus, which focuses on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, home services, third-party logistics (3PL), e-commerce and industrial enterprises, provides a portfolio of products that drive efficiency with AI and machine learning. NodeIQ automates strategic supply chain decisions that impact four key areas; flow, location, inventory, and strategic sourcing. With NodeIQ, users can optimise the movement of goods, from raw materials to delivery of finished products, identify optimal facility locations to address supply and demand gaps, optimise stock levels and improve strategic sourcing. NodeIQ factors in real-time constraints like service levels, lead times, costs and capacity to minimize costs and maximize efficiency. “A black swan event like the pandemic demonstrates the importance of agility in the supply chain,” said Krishna Khandelwal, Chief Business Officer, Locus, in adding, “But supply chains are enormously complex, and depending on the scope of the operation, the number of factors to weigh in while making the right strategic decision is truly beyond human capacity. NodeIQ’s AI-powered strategic decision-making capabilities let enterprises make the right strategic choices so they can stay agile and optimize results at every level.” Locus products are gaining users worldwide because the platform is simple to use. Supply chain optimization is a data-intensive function, but Locus uses AI and other advanced technologies to cleanse data, flag anomalies and deliver clear insights. Following the same product principle of ease and simplicity, Locus NodeIQ uses a digital twin approach to make it easy for clients to test various scenarios and drill down to …

LogiNext has announced a milestone partnership with Alibaba backed Daraz. This partnership involved rolling out the LogiNext Mile platform over which Daraz has optimised and automated millions of orders over the past four years resulting in Asia’s largest e-commerce carrier network. Through this partnership, Daraz got access to LogiNext’s Mile platform for its logistics marketplace recently launched for a potential end customer base of more than one billion to empower local logistics businesses and establish their businesses with Daraz. LogiNext’s platform automates order capturing, scheduling, delivery associate compliance, handling peak event sales and the end to end customer experience for these smaller businesses supported by Daraz in its countries. For LogiNext, a pioneer in the field of logistics automation in North America, working with Daraz was a way to make inroads in Asia via a forward-looking high-tech e-commerce environment that Daraz fosters. Together, the partnership has improved Daraz Logistics marketplace’s last mile deliveries by tracking and accessing billions of location data points to deliver a superior customer experience to millions of end customers. “LogiNext’s Mile platform has been leveraged by several premier e-commerce giants across the globe. This partnership with Daraz has helped us solve some very real on-the-ground logistical issues native to APAC and it has given a framework for upcoming and existing e-commerce giants to usher in the new face of last-mile deliveries built on the basis of a world-class customer experience,” says Mradul Khandelwal, Vice President of Business Development at LogiNext. “At Daraz, we are always looking to innovate and bring the best technologies available globally for improved customer experience which in return yields to higher business performance. This partnership has proven to be fruitful for Logistics …

In its new Whitepaper, ‘The Ultimate B2B E-commerce Guide: Tradition is out. Digital is in’, DHL Expres predicts strong growth for the B2B e commerce market in the coming years. 80 per cent of all B2B sales interactions between suppliers and professional buyers will take place in digital channels by 2025. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the pace of digitalisation and the purchasing behaviour of technology-savvy millennials, who are now of an age to be the professional B2B decision-makers, are the main drivers of this global e-commerce growth. What is predicted for the future of the B2B sector, has already been visible in the significant B2C e-commerce rise over the last years, where DHL Express experienced high growth rates particularly during the holiday peak seasons (e.g. Easter, Christmas) and mega shopping days (e. g. Black Friday, Cyber Monday). In total the B2C E commerce volumes within the DHL Express network increased in 2020 by approximately 40 per cent, compared to 2019. This positive business development is also reflected in the FY2020 financial results of the company: With a total revenue of €19.1 billion (+11.9 per cent year-on-year) and EBIT of €2.7 billion (+34.9 per cent) the Express division of Deutsche Post DHL Group closed 2020 with the best result in its more than 50 years history. “Even in times of worldwide shutdowns, globalisation has shown its resilience, fuelled by digitalisation and the power of global trade”, says John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “These trends have led to an ever growing number of consumers to shift their shopping activities online. The pandemic has accelerated this development like never before, with a sharp rise in businesses selling their goods …

With supply chains becoming more dependent on mobile workers to meet productivity goals, Honeywell has partnered with FarEye, a low-code SaaS platform, to provide its intelligent delivery management platform to Honeywell mobile computer users. FarEye allows mobile workers with devices to manage, visually track and monitor delivery logistics operations. The company works with major retailers, carriers and consumers around the world to provide higher control on their delivery operations and provide a superior experience to end customers. Kushal Nahata, CEO & Co-Founder, FarEye said, “Indeed a milestone for both the teams who are on a journey to empower shippers and carriers to deliver better. As customers transform their businesses to keep pace with today’s ever-changing business climate, FarEye enables the customers to scale their delivery operations & create value. Together, we have been able to make a positive impact on businesses with the disruptive power of Honeywell technologies and FarEye’s intelligent delivery management platform which is built to solve the complex challenges that cost the supply chain and logistics industry trillions of dollars.” With the combined capabilities, Honeywell and FarEye aim to provide greater visibility of logistics operations through centralizing data that is usually scattered throughout the organization. This will help customers to achieve greater transparency enabling them to move from reacting to situations to real-time problem solving with end-to-end operational visibility. Honeywell also recently recognised FarEye as its ISV Partner of the year.

Pickkup is now aiming to expand its services to South’s major metropolitan cities Bengaluru and Chennai, apart from starting operations in Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam this year. With plans to have operations in 5 cities over the next few months, Pickkup aims to reach a revenue of Rs 10-12 crore by the next financial year 2021-22. The startup plans to raise seed capital in the upcoming financial year to fuel its expansion plans including establishing operations in multiple cities and hiring new fleet. The expansion plans come in the wake of stupendous post COVID growth, with the startup registering a 20-fold rise in delivery volumes over the past 11 months. The demand for Pickkup’s on-demand last-mile delivery services grew tremendously from enterprises particularly from retail and e-commerce players. Apart from Bengaluru, Chennai the tech enabled last mile delivery startup is also ready to expand its operations to other Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While the operations in Bengaluru are set to start next month, the startup is expected to take off in Chennai and Vijayawada in June and Vishakhapatnam by October this year. Over the next two fiscal years, Pickkup aims to have operations in eight cities with an expected revenue of Rs 50 crore. With a number of its partners having multi city presence, the startup already has order commitments from a series of businesses and e commerce platforms in Bengaluru and Chennai. The startup already has order commitments from businesses, bakery outlets, retail and several e commerce platforms in Bengaluru where operations are set to take off immediately. “With our technology-driven services enabling a highly efficient local delivery model, Pickkup has emerged as the fastest …