Category Archives: Technology

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has taken its first step into robotics with the opening of a new Automated Parts Store (APS) for its giant container- and loose cargo handling systems. The new, robotically-operated parts dispensing system enables urgently-needed spares to be quickly accessed around the clock, both for routine maintenance and in the event of occasional breakdowns. Hactl’s automated and highly complex Container Storage System (CSS) has 11 levels, is 260 m long, features a giant ULD racking system that holds 3,500 units and stores and retrieves up to 8,000 tonnes of air cargo per day. Meanwhile, its automated Box Storage System (BSS) handles loose cargo, using 10,000 stillages that run on tracks between the cargo pick-up and build-up areas.

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) is now on the cusp of a digital transformation, with an Internet of Things (IoT) based solution to monitor temperature-controlled cargo all set to enable real-time supply chain visibility. Currently available at Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore (MABB), one of the Cargo Terminals at BLR Airport, the technology will enable live monitoring of temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceutical and perishables, including fruits, vegetables, meat, sea food, dairy products, cut flowers etc. The TAGBOX-developed technology will provide shippers and agents real-time temperature data of the shipment from the time it leaves the warehouse to the point it is loaded onto an aircraft at BLR Airport. The battery-powered Tag360 sensor, attached to each small SKU, box, or pallet tracks the product’s temperature, at every step of the journey. Shippers and agents can monitor the end-to-end health of their products through a central monitoring dashboard via a web or mobile interface.

PHDCCI organized the 3rd Edition Virtual Supply Chain Excon: Future of Global Supply Chain and Logistics on 22 and 23rd July 2021. The two days ExCon witnessed exhibition and four technical sessions on different subjects: The Chief Guest for technical session on Revolutionize Urban Logistics was Vikas Chaube, JS, Logistics, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The eminent speakers were Shashvat Somany, Chairman, Retail Committee, Dr. John Gattorna – CEO, Gattorna Alignments, Adil Zobair, Vice President, Sedres Shipping, Virendra Sharma, AVP – Supply Chain, Jockey India, Arvind Kalra – Supply Chain Professional, Virendra Sharma, AVP – Supply Chain, Jockey India and Dr. Rakesh Paras Singh, Chairman, ISCM

Ecom Express, a leading technology enabled end-to-end logistics solutions provider for the e-commerce industry, announced the launch of its self sign-up portal called ‘E-zippie’. The portal is for micro-entrepreneurs, small business owners, sole-proprietors and home-preneurs, to quickly, conveniently, and securely sign-up for a one-stop-shop for logistics services in less than 30 minutes. Commenting on the announcement, T. A. Krishnan, Co-founder and CEO, Ecom Express, said “With ‘E-zippie’, we can fast-track registration to less than 30 minutes against a 10 to 12 days process taken by most players in the market. The self sign-up portal is a major milestone in our effort to provide an automated and seamless experience for online businesses right from onboarding to fulfilling all their shipping requirements. We will continue to enhance customer experience by making logistics simpler and convenient for small and micro businesses, by providing direct control on their shipments and flexibility in managing end-to-end shipment life cycle. Our aim is to help them expand their market access to 27000+ PIN codes, diversify their customer base, and solidify their supply chain through Ecom Express.’’

IBM and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR) announced a ten-year partnership under which IBM and Kyndryl will provide the finest IT solutions. The plan is to create a new ‘Airport in a Box’ platform that will support transforming the end-to-end travel experience for passengers at BLR Airport. To achieve this goal, BIAL has selected IBM global business services, IBM hybrid cloud capabilities and Kyndryl, the new, independent company that will be created following the separation of IBM’s managed infrastructure services business, to design and implement a next generation architecture with robust and dynamic delivery model. The new platform will also enable BIAL to improve employee productivity, better utilization of IT assets, reduce costs through streamlined inventory control and improved incident management. IBM and BIAL will work to ensure that the platform supports BIAL’s commitment to sustainability and the community at large. BIAL recently achieved its goal of net energy neutral status in the financial year 2020-21, consuming energy from renewable sources.

Indian government’s premier policy think-tank NITI Aayog along with RMI and RMI India has released a new report titled “Fast Tracking Freight in India: A Roadmap for Clean and Cost-Effective Goods Transport”, which highlights key opportunities for India to bring down its logistics costs. Owing to the increasing demands of goods and services, an increase in freight transport demand is expected. While it is essential for economic development, it is plagued by high logistics costs and contributes to rising CO2 emissions and air pollution in cities. The Report states that India has the potential to: Reduce its logistics cost by 4% of GDP Achieve 10 gigatonnes of cumulative CO2 emissions savings between 2020 and 2050 Reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions by 35% and 28%, respectively, until 2050

Fairfax Financial Holdings Group has provided the funding to set up COV-AID@BLR, a 150-bed, oxygenated COVID-19 treatment centre at BLR Airport. The facility would be operational on May 18, 2021. The Fairfax-led initiative, in partnership with GiveIndia, is part-funded by Kempegowda International Airport Foundation (KIAF) – the foundation of Bangalore International Airport Limited. The initiative will be managed by Fairfax Financial Holdings Group’s investee companies – KIAF and Quess Corp Limited. The Centre would be equipped with oxygen concentrators, medical equipment, pharmacy, pathology centre, nurses’ station and restrooms. It will be open to the public soon, and is equipped to treat patients with mild hypoxia

Swift Cargo has announced joining the TradeLens platform, a blockchain enabled digital supply chain solution jointly developed by Maersk and IBM, to use its electronic bill of lading product. The TradeLens eBL, will digitize bills of lading, along with other critical transportation documents, on the Blockchain to vastly increase speed of original bill of lading issuance, transfer and surrender, a process that was traditionally manual and time-consuming which can now occur accurately and securely in minutes. Eliminating the risks and costs caused by lost or delayed documents have been a significant concern for the shipping, logistics and trade finance industries. With direct connectivity of all stakeholders within the TradeLens blockchain technology powered platform, total end-to-end visibility for Swift Cargo’s transportation documentation will now be available for their import and export cargo, sourced from a single platform. The TradeLens solution will provide transparency through the shipping cycle while addressing sensitivities too. “Innovation in the industry provides improved speed, transparency and efficiency for our international transportation documentation. This allows us to ultimately provide better service to our customers and at the same time capture improved efficiencies in our operations,” said Harish Pandeya, Managing Director Swift Cargo. He added, “Going beyond our objective of digitalization and providing timely and superior service levels to our clients, TradeLens will also help us reduce operational overheads and errors by enabling automation of significant parts of the documentation process.” Bimal Kanal, Head – South Asia, TradeLens mentioned, ” We are excited to see Swift Cargo join us on our mission to digitize the bill of lading process across all types of BLs. By eliminating the risk of lost documents, forgeries, delays and charges by using a blockchain …

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 …

MMC Corportation Berhad (MMC) has embarked on a major digital transformation of five ports, in partnership with global software solutions leader, Ramco System. The digital transformation will consolidate and standardise processes of MMC’s ports, which include Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas Sdn Bhd (PTP), Johor Port Berhad, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, Penang Port Sdn Bhd and Tanjung Bruas Port Sdn Bhd. The group-wide transformation was awarded based on the successful implementation of Ramco integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system at one of Malaysia’s most advanced container terminal – PTP. This technological transformation programme will propel Malaysia to the forefront of global best-in-class ports – which plays a crucial role in mitigating supply chain challenges, including recent disruptions due to COVID-19. Building on an earlier implementation by Ramco Systems of an ERP system for PTP where about 90 per cent of the system has achieved Go-Live in phases over the past 10 months, the enhanced rollout will digitalise processes, while providing real-time business information. MMC will also be able to consolidate various business support functions (namely Finance, Human Resource, Enterprise Asset Management, Supply Chain Management, and Logistics Management) across ports into a single integrated ERP system – all accessible on an integrated dashboard. Over 8,000 MMC employees across the ports will be plugged into the platform on their computers/mobile devices which now eliminates duplication errors and other bottlenecks, allowing efficient business processes and enhanced data visibility. The system will also include smart features such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), which will provide employees with greater insight as well as predictive alerts and chatbots which can reduce human error and save time. This will lay the foundation for MMC’s broader strategy to enhance …