Category Archives: Technology

Cloud innovation has been a debated topic for the logistics industry for some time. The segment helps in accelerating growth in business. Enumerating the concept on cloud technology for the logistics industry, Kapil Mahajan, CIO, Safexpress, says, “Cloud is a key catalyst for Industry 4.0; it’s no longer a question of whether logistics companies will transform themselves into digital-first businesses; rather, it’s more a question of how, and how soon.” “At Safexpress, technology-led innovation is at the core of our business growth strategy. We’re currently using Oracle Fusion Financials Cloud and Oracle Management Cloud. We wanted to move to a cloud ERP model for increased flexibility, stability and agility and with Oracle, we’ve done just that. In fact, we were the first across the industry to implement Oracle’s GST compliant Fusion financials in India. By taking away the time and effort required to manage software upgrades and associated infrastructure, it has enabled us to concentrate more on our core platform and create more value for the business,” he informs.

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.”

Agility has signed an agreement with Cold Box Express to offer innovative shipping solutions for temperature-sensitive cargo. Cold Box offers an active temperature-control pallet shipper, designed for mixed-load ground transportation. The shipper is a pallet-sized interior compartment with precise temperature control and range, extended hold times, and 24×7 near-real-time tracking and monitoring. Satish Lakkaraju, Chief Commercial Officer, Agility India, said, “We believe in offering unique, cost-effective solutions that can help customers achieve a more secure cold chain. In the Indian market, where temperatures rise to over 45°C, moving temperature-sensitive cargo can be a challenge. Cold Box’s solution is easy to handle, and perfectly suited to our customer needs.” Under the terms of the partnership, Agility will test one Cold Box as part of a pilot to move cargo for pharmaceutical customers in India. The device will be used for LCL reefer shipments, as well as to move pharmaceutical products to difficult-to-reach locations, areas prone to power cuts, and for last-mile delivery.

Kale Logistics Solutions has launched a specialised e-booking platform ‘RIGEL’ at Wings India 2018. The platform is one of the company’s trade facilitation initiatives, focused on driving ease in cargo booking for the air cargo industry. This one stop e-booking platform is India’s first comprehensive online platform to assist “cargo rates” discovery and booking procedures for the air cargo industry. Currently, the air cargo industry is heavily dependent on manual and cumbersome processes wherein airline routes and schedules have to be digitally solicited. Absence of a single online source that can provide information pertaining to availability of cargo routes and the corresponding reservation rates to exporters, freight forwarders and custom brokers has made the process tedious and prone to malpractices. With Kale’s online e-Booking platform, routes, rates and schedules for cargo booking are readily accessible through the system, thereby benefitting the concerned stakeholders. It also ensures that compliances for further processing of the shipment are met at the point of booking. This booking data is reusable for further shipment processing by way of connecting to other stakeholders like airports and airlines. The platform is equipped with comprehensive modules for RFQ and quote management, multi-channel booking with EDI communication with airlines, GST invoicing, e-payment gateway, tracking and reporting for all stakeholders.

Expressing how technology benefits business, Kapil Mahajan, CIO, Safexpress, lists features like performance tracking and visibility, increased efficiency, enhanced floor planning, etc for optimal processes. He said, “Oracle’s enterprise-grade cloud platform solutions have helped us fast track innovation, increase operational efficiencies and improve overall IT management. The technology element aside, Oracle’s commitment to customers is demonstrated through regular, hands-on interactions we have with their various teams. These teams ensure we are taking full advantage of Oracle technology to power our business growth, making the entire journey smoother.” Mahajan listed the following business benefits achieved through technology transformation: 1.HOG (Hub On The GO) – Digital Predictive Analytical Dashboard which integrates the IoT platform with core operations. Operational Efficiency of 15-20% w.r.t the reduction in Loading/Unloading times post vehicle arrival within Safexpress Hub Geofence. 2.Workforce productivity in the range of 10-15% w.r.t the average scan count projection, post go live.

Rahat Sachdeva, Vice President, Rahat Continental was awarded the esteemed ‘Face of the Future’ award. Sachdeva has done his Bachelors in Business Administration from Oxford Brookes University. He started his career with SDV (now known as Bollore Logistics) at their Heathrow office managing their Aerospace Imports division and then moved back to India in 2006 to join his family business. Sachdeva has taken his family business to new heights, be it bringing innovation in the business or managing and aligning the branches, etc. In 2011 they started their international office in London followed by another one in New York in 2014.  Rahat Continental, is a 140-crore company with the vision to be world’s best freight forwarding company by 2025.

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.

Celebi Delhi Cargo terminal went live with Kale’s Galaxy (Domestic module) Cargo Management system as part of the phase wise implementation of the entire suite of Galaxy Air Cargo management software system comprising of EXIM operations, warehouse management, UD, invoice and accounts and domestic operations. The new age domestic module incorporates next generation features like mobile app, customer portal, hand-held based app and EDI with airlines. In order to keep pace with the ever-increasing domestic cargo demands, Celebi Delhi has partnered with Kale Logistics Solutions to automate their air cargo and terminal operations.

Kale Logistics Solutions has announced a new version CANOPUS 2.0 – Customs Clearance Management (CCM) software incorporating several innovative features like business analytics, full feature mobile app and connectivity to multiple stakeholders and Kale’s community platforms. The role of Customs Brokers (CBs) has evolved in the past decade from customs document filing to connecting with multiple trade partners like airline, shipping line, airports, container depots, government authorities and transporters amongst others. The current technology available poses multiple challenges to the CBs like standalone applications, complex documentation, extensive manual intervention and changing compliances amongst others.

At the FFFAI convention, Stanley Lim, Chairman, FIATA Congress Committee & Past President FIATA, expressed the need of logistics cost to be cut down. He said, “No matter in which industry you are, you need logistics and in logistics we are talking about from farm to fork and the number of steps and the cost involved. Moreover, for globalisation one needs to involve all government agencies in one platform to facilitate trade. Hence, logistics cost needs to be cut down to make country’s import and export competitive. Once the number of steps will get cut down, security will be enhanced and there will be less human error.”