Category Archives: Technology

The temperature-controlled supply chain facility for international cargo at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) has received a fillip with the introduction of Envirotainer, a world leader in active cold-chain solutions for air cargo. BLR Airport is now the fourth airport in the country and second in South India to partner with Envirotainer. This enables pharmaceutical companies and their logistics partners to move temperature-sensitive cargo across the world, while maintaining the integrity and quality of products throughout journey. This essentially means that temperature is maintained throughout to create an unbroken cold chain from manufacturing to the point of consumption. Backed by two dedicated cold zones, operated by Air India SATS Airport Services (AI-SATS) and Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore (MABB), the new cold-chain solution will boost the movement of pharmaceutical products from major manufacturing clusters such as Hyderabad, Goa, Vishakhapatnam and other places in South India. Pharmaceutical products account for 13 per cent of the total international cargo throughput from BLR Airport each year, with USA, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Vietnam, Philippines, Germany, Nigeria, Algeria, Uganda and Russia being the top destinations. AI-SATS will provide the handling and storing services for Envirotainer.

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) has unveiled the BharatBenz ‘BSafe Express’, a specialized reefer truck designed for the safe transportation of COVID-19 vaccines. Equipped with state-of-the-art connectivity, the BSafe Express uses newly developed refrigeration units that ensure the temperature and stability of the vaccines is accurately monitored and maintained at all stages of delivery. The reefer is mounted on the BharatBenz 2823R heavy-duty chassis.At the premiere of the truck in the Indian capital Delhi, Satyakam Arya, Managing Director and CEO, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles said, “The combination of a strong, reliable chassis with a lightweight, insulated reefer and state-of-the-art connectivity device makes BharatBenz’s ‘BSafe Express’ the perfect solution to India’s cold-chain infrastructure challenge. With this truck, we can deliver vaccines in perfect condition to even the most remote destinations, bringing hope of a return to normalcy to over 1.3 billion people.” India has recently started its corona vaccination campaign, aiming to vaccinate 300 million people by July 2021. The BharatBenz BSafe Express offers a solution to Indian logistics companies in the efforts to contribute to the nation’s goal of bringing COVID under control as quickly as possible. A daunting challenge in the second most populous country in the world.

Crystal Logistic Cool Chain (Crystal) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pluss Advanced Technologies (PLUSS) for the supply of indigenously developed precise temperature control boxes required of maintaining the effectiveness of the vaccine during transport. According to the MoU, PLUSS will supply its patented product – Celsure®, developed using its proprietary Phase Change Material technology, for transportation of the Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturer to different parts of the country. Crystal specialises in refrigerated warehousing (cold storages), refrigerated transportation on a pan-India network. “Transportation of the vaccine while maintaining the precise temperature control is as important as the vaccine itself. This partnership is a very significant step towards ensuring the COVID-19 vaccine reaches its destinations in a way that maintains its efficacy,” said Samit Jain, MD, PLUSS. While, transporting pharmaceutical products, biological products or vaccines in particular, the need to maintain precise temperature ranges is very important and the efficacy of vaccine can be impacted if the temperature goes above or below the specified range. PLUSS, an India based material solutions company has designed and manufactured a precise temperature-control delivery solution that is required for vaccine delivery to the last mile. “Crystal Group has always been championing warehousing services and we see a major role for Crystal Logistic Cool Chain to play in transportation and storage of the COVID-19 vaccine. With PLUSS’ temperature control boxes we will ensure last mile delivery, to even the remotest parts of India,” said Akash Agarwal, CEO, Crystal Logistic Cool Chain.

PLUSS Advanced Technology (PLUSS) has been granted patent by European Patent Office, Germany for its ‘Celsure’ box designed and manufactured using the proprietary Phase Change Material (PCM) technology, to transport vaccines and perishable commodities at a specific temperature range. The patent was granted to the innovative method of arranging PCMs which leads to precise temperature control in varying ambient conditions and increases operational efficiencies for the end user. The patent has also been applied in USA, Singapore, Brazil and India. PLUSS expects these patents to be granted soon as well. “This is a major endorsement for our research and development and also India’s preparedness in efficient cold chain supply management. These boxes will play a vital role in maintaining precise temperature during transport of various COVID-19 vaccines being tested in India and abroad. The technology is already commercialized and is used by various multinational pharmaceutical and logistics companies in India. We are in conversations with Covid-19 vaccine distribution stakeholders to make our products available across the country. The latest MoU being with SpiceJet,” said Samit Jain, MD, PLUSS. While, transporting pharmaceutical products, biological products or vaccines in particular, the need to maintain precise temperature ranges is very important and the efficacy of vaccine can be impacted if the temperature goes above or below the specified range. PLUSS’s proprietary, made in India PCM technology ensures that precise temperature ranges are maintained and at costs much lower than similar international solutions. Celsure is a simple box-in-box transport solution developed by the R&D team at PLUSS which uses indigenously developed Phase Change Material (PCM) that will maintain the right temperature from a few hours to a few days to ensure that vaccines retain …

Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, NebulARC has developed computer vision and 3D tracking solutions that help shippers to monitor and track shipments in real-time, thereby eliminating human errors and achieving operational excellence in yard management. Slow decision making can hinder business operations and ultimately the bottom line for businesses. Having identified key challenges in the shipping industry, the company is providing actionable insights into day-to-day operations to shippers and yard managers to optimise yard utilisation and help with capacity planning. NebulARC’s technology is expected to reduce man hours, eliminate risks and accidents in man-to-machine interactions, and increase overall efficiency by over 25%. Commenting on the same, Alok Sharma, CEO & Co-founder, says, “We have designed a one-stop solution that is tailored to meet the needs of our customers. Besides unlocking the challenges in ecommerce, retail and B2B logistics, we have always been focused on solving the complexities in the shipping industry. Today, NebulARC is one of the few SaaS companies in India that is bringing the power of technology and predictive visibility to the shipping and port logistics operations.  We strongly believe that the current challenging time has acted as an accelerator for digitizing the industry. By offering a comprehensive suite of solutions for shipment tracking, we have not only created 360-degree visibility for the businesses but also have laid a foundation for customers to manage their logistics anytime and anywhere.” The shipping industry has been one of the most affected industries amid the outbreak. Owing to port delays, shipments have been stalled across the globe with exporters and importers struggling to track their shipments. However, NebulARC unlocks the power of AI and analytics to fill in major gaps in the shipping …

According to WheelsEye Technology research, “Indian trucking sector is suffering from losses of ₹2-3 crore per day in faulty toll transactions. The Gurugram based logistics tech startup has revealed this figure in a research conducted on over five lakh FASTag users. WheelsEye claimed that one out of every 60 FASTag transactions is faulty, as a result of which truck owners lose hard-earned money every day. This survey prompted the startup to develop an auto-detection and refund feature for wrong or double toll deductions from FASTag accounts. In an industry-first move, the company has launched an auto-detection & refund system for faulty FASTag transactions. “E-toll collection systems are a symbol of developing economies. They enable a faster transit, check leakage, and create an efficient flow of money. While countries like Norway, Italy, Japan, USA, Germany have their e-toll collection systems since as early as 1969, India has just begun. It got a massive push due to the government making it mandatory and COVID-19 forcing contactless toll transactions. While we have reached a massive scale on adoption, we are still way behind in providing a glitch-free and smooth experience” says Sonesh Jain, Spokesperson, WheelsEye Technology.

Freightwalla has announced partnership with TradeLens; a blockchain enabled digital supply chain solution jointly developed by Maersk and IBM, to provide unparalleled visibility and connectivity for shipper’s international shipments. Improving transparency, traceability, and rapid response mechanism has been a significant concern for the shipping and logistics industry. With robust end-to-end connectivity of all stakeholders with the blockchain technology, the partnership will strengthen the overall supply chain transparency. The association will further fast-track the digitization revolution in the industry. Speaking on the occasion, Punit Java, Co-Founder & CTO, Freightwalla, says, “As a digital freight forwarder, our mission is to improve transparency and reduce costs for our partners and customers. Freightwalla getting on board the TradeLens platform will enable seamless connectivity between all stakeholders in the logistics ecosystem, including transporters, shipping lines, ports, and financial institutions. It will enable shippers to get full visibility into their shipments and reduce the overall cost of logistics.” The company has developed its own digital freight forwarding app for the EXIM fraternity and plans to link it with TradeLens, providing its customers unparalleled transparency and visibility while shipping internationally. Java, who also heads the development of Freightwalla’s digital freight forwarding platform, believes that TradeLens will help reduce the operational overheads and errors by enabling the automation of significant parts of the operational process. Bimal Kanal, Head – South Asia, TradeLens, mentions, “TradeLens is an industry-wide neutral platform aiming at digitalising supply chains and the logistics industries. We aim to bring as many stakeholders involved in the logistics sector as possible onto the platform and create an efficient, digital ecosystem that will drive benefits to one and all. Freightwalla’s moves towards digital transformation are helping shippers to …

With an aim to work together on last-mile delivery and distribution of products in rural India, Mahindra Logistics (MLL) has signed an MoU with 1Bridge. While Mahindra Logistics specialises in supply chain management and serves customers across various industries including Consumer Goods and E-commerce across India, 1Bridge is a bridge that connects the supply side of the value chain, i.e., industry stakeholders within the Consumer Goods, E-commerce, Fintech, etc. to the demand side of the chain – i.e., the rural consumer at the village level through its village entrepreneurs and a technology platform. Signing this significant partnership with 1Bridge, Rampraveen Swaminathan, MD & CEO, Mahindra Logistics, says, “This collaboration will complement MLL’s logistical expertise, pan-India network and a wide customer base with 1Bridge’s deep presence across villages in rural India through its network of local business associates and district-level stations. We look forward to working collaboratively towards a strengthened supply chain network in rural India.” Madan Padaki, CEO, 1Bridge, says, “We are delighted to partner with a leader like Mahindra Logistics, as this will enable a start-up like us to learn faster and deliver better consumer experience to the village consumers.” Mahindra Logistics and 1Bridge have begun pilot projects in Karnataka, Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu on deliveries of consumer/home appliances and groceries. Over the next 3 years, the partners intend to build an efficient last-mile delivery capability covering over 100,000 villages in India.

In a bid to orchestrate last-mile deliveries, achieve real-time visibility and enhance the customer experience, HomeTown has partnered with FarEye. HomeTown has improved delivery turnaround time by 50 per cent and achieved a 60 per cent reduction in customer calls due to proactive communication regarding orders and deliveries. With people favoring to stay indoors, following social distancing measures, and working from the comfort of home, shopping habits underwent rapid change. People increasingly invested in items such as fitness equipment, home entertainment, and furniture. HomeTown witnessed a gradual month-on-month increase in online purchases post-unlock. The brand’s ‘Home Office’ section saw a three-times increase in demand. Amidst surging orders and the need to drive seamless on-time fulfillment, HomeTown was facing challenges in ensuring safe and satisfactory deliveries. With regards to their multi-unit furniture delivery, highly efficient collaboration and interoperability between delivery and installation teams emerged as a key requirement. Leveraging FarEye’s logistics orchestration platform, the retailer was able to streamline processes such as- assigning orders to delivery executives, tracking incomplete orders and return/ replacement requests, and scheduling appointments for installation while keeping the customers informed at every step. Managers now track the delivery status in real-time with ePod and service completion pictures. Vaishali Thakkar, GM–Customer Service and Operations, HomeTown comments, “FarEye has helped us scale up our product delivery and post-sale processes with new distribution models and logistics partners smoothly, to ensure consistent customer experience. Being a highly customisable platform, it has been able to completely deliver as per our requirements. It has helped us in increasing the productivity of our field service engineers and technicians who are on the front lines of our business, and the face of the organisation.” Kushal …

Considering the need for a reliable supply chain mechanism for the vaccine distribution, LogiNext has announced the launch of a COVID -19 vaccine supply chain management and tracking platform. Building the digital backbone for a global logistics movement, LogiNext has been at the forefront of the automation technology revolution. During the nascent phases of the pandemic, the company has proactively started working on a solution which is now available for government and healthcare organisations. Dhruvil Sanghvi, Chief Executive Officer of LogiNext said, “We have been working hard for a while now on this vaccine tracking solution including some key features for the cold chain. We’re very proud to launch the first solution to manage a complex supply chain around COVID-19 vaccine from manufacturing facilities all the way till the last mile.” LogiNext Mile is a complete all-mile transportation automation platform which can be used for tech-enabled management of vaccine distribution. The SaaS platform can be deployed for complete visibility and tracking of the vaccine distribution right from the point of origin at the manufacturing units to the last mile. The solution can be used for the entire chain or a part of the solution can be used for: Visibility and tracking: LogiNext Mile gives a real-time dashboard via which managers can keep track of all logistical movement and orchestrate a distribution plan. Demand forecasting and Order scheduling: Operators now have the capability to accurately forecast the needs across the globe according to which orders on the first mile can be triggered. Detailed analytics: LogiNext’s expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning capabilities gives its clients (healthcare enterprises, governmental organizations, carriers and 3PLs) an added advantage in the form of detailed …