Category Archives: Warehousing

Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP) has committed 100 per cent of its Rs 500 crore corpus across six investments to create a portfolio of Rs 2,300 crore spanning five cities–MMR, NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Lucknow– aggregating to about 6.6 million square feet of gross leasable area. Last year, the firm raised India’s first alternative investment fund (AIF) focusing on warehousing development. Of the 6.6 million sq. ft, one million sq. ft of area has been delivered and an additional two million sq. ft is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of calendar year 2023, the company said in a statement. Fifty per cent of the firm’s funds’ portfolio will be delivered, operational and rent generating in a little over two years from its first close, the statement added. Notably, about 60 per cent of the portfolio is already pre-leased to a blue-chip roster of tenants such as Delhivery, Flipkart, FM Logistics, Tata Croma, and Ecom Express, with significant scope for leasing of the balance portfolio.

DCX – a global Agri Fintech operator of platforms for Agri products and Shree Shubham Logistics Limited (SSL) have signed an agreement to bring transparent, efficient, and robust agri-commodities trading to India. SSL’s best-in-class warehousing service with over 1 million m2 of facilities across 6 states will now be available to all DCX clients as part of its secure and trusted negotiation, contracting and execution solution, said an official release. The DCX platform integrates with a variety of service providers – inspection, freight, insurance, and finance. This is now the first time that warehousing will also be available directly on DCX providing full visibility for all stakeholders on the status of the trade, and the condition of collateral. The SSL solution reduces post-harvest losses and increases food security, using scientific and efficient warehouse management systems through our own state-of-the-art Agri-Logistics Parks (ALPs) as well as in third-party warehouses. Our wide spectrum of services ranges from Storage and Preservation, Collateral Management, and testing of Agri commodities.

The National Logistics Policy (NLP) launched recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help India propel itself into a top manufacturing and sourcing country globally. Acknowledging the same, Manu Raj Bhalla, President, the Warehousing Association of India (WAI) said, “The policy encompasses all aspects of the supply chain such as transportation infrastructure and technology to provide cost-effective, sustainable, and robust multimodal solutions with real-time visibility to industry stakeholders. The policy will complement the PM Gati Shakti National Masterplan, will facilitate investment in warehousing and logistics infrastructure, dovetailing into Make in India alongside the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.” He added, “The vision is to develop a technologically enabled, cost-efficient, resilient, sustainable, and trusted logistics ecosystem for accelerated and inclusive growth. The policy includes a detailed action plan to achieve a reduction in logistics costs in India, to be in the top 25 countries in the Logistics Performance Index ranking by 2030, and to create a data-driven decision support mechanism for an efficient logistics network. Several initiatives under the policy, including the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), the Ease of Logistics Services platform, an e-handbook on Warehousing, training courses on PM Gati Shakti Masterplan, and logistics on i-Got, were launched along with the NLP. All these initiatives will help facilitate the digital transformation of the Indian logistics and supply chain ecosystem, thus enabling integration with the global value chains in an efficient and cost-effective manner,” said Bhalla.” Agreeing with Bhalla, Arif A Siddiqui, Vice President WAI said, “To develop a technologically enabled, integrated, cost-efficient, resilient, sustainable, and trusted logistics ecosystem in the country for accelerated and inclusive growth. This vision will be achieved by Integrating the modes of transport, Optimization of the utilization of logistics infrastructure, Standardization of processes and service quality, Modernization of …

DHL Express has strengthened its network in the Delhi-NCR region with the expansion of Faridabad service center. Inaugurated by John Pearson, CEO, DHL Express, this is DHL Express India’s eighth service center in Delhi/NCR region and 53rd in the country. The sustained expansion is in line with the company’s commitment of EUR250 million towards infrastructure development across the country. DHL Express has been serving customers in Faridabad since 2014. The company has now expanded its Faridabad service center into a 9000-square-feet facility to meet the significant trade volume growth in the last five years. This augments DHL Express’ current service offering to customers, as it meets the growing export and import demands. John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express, commented on the expansion: “Even in these volatile times, our well-connected global network, focus on infrastructure, and dedicated people have paved the way for our growth. Our recently released DHL Trade Growth Atlas tells us that India is on track to more than double its trade volume growth rate in the next five years, and we are uniquely positioned to support this because of our unrivalled expertise. Investments like these in the country will allow us to provide best-in-class service to our customers and make us a reliable partner.” R.S Subramanian, SVP South Asia, DHL Express said: “We are committed to supporting India’s economic growth and facilitating international trade. To meet this commitment, we have invested heavily in people, processes, and infrastructure across the country in recent years. The Faridabad service center expansion is part of the growth strategy. The region has seen a 70% increase in shipment volume over the last three years, necessitating infrastructure expansion to meet rising demand. We …

The Warehousing Association of India (WAI) was formed as a section 8 Company on 8th November 2021 with the mission to promote the interest of the Warehousing Industry in India during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Key Stakeholders & Members of WAI comprise Developers/Builders of Warehouses and Logistics Parks; Users of Warehouses such as Retail/ Manufacturing/ E-Commerce Companies; Operators of warehouses such as 3PL/ Logistics/ Warehousing Companies; Associated Companies that provide Equipment/ Software/ Design for Warehouses. In rhythm with PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, the key objective of WAI is to facilitate the ease of setting up and operating world-class warehouses in India make supply chains more efficient and bring overall Logistics Costs down improving productivity and turnaround times, reducing damages, shortages by automation of modern warehouses, and deployment of new technologies coupled with the modern multimodal connectivity of Road, Rail and Waterways. WAI is privileged to have been entrusted by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to update and publish this e- Handbook on Warehousing Standards. “This is indeed an excellent e- handbook and will benefit all the stakeholders of the industry and go a long way toward standardisation and facilitate the development of world class warehousing infrastructure in India. We will continue to update this document annually and it will be our endeavour to include the latest developments, practices, and technologies in the Warehousing Industry from time to time. With the Support of Industry Leaders and major Stake Holders WAI is undertaking several important initiatives in the Warehousing Industry.

Kuehne+Nagel has put into operation its first Boeing 747-8 Freighter as part of the long-term charter agreement with Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AAWW). As the global market leader in air freight, Kuehne+Nagel expands its air freight network by chartering the entire capacity of the very last two 747-8F aircraft from their delivery by Boeing. During the official ceremony at the Boeing Everett Delivery Center in Everett, WA, the Boeing 747-8F under the name “Inspire.” was handed over to Kuehne+Nagel. The most capable freighter aircraft in the world will support Kuehne+Nagel customers with highly reliable service, reduced transit times and minimised risks. In addition to the Transpacific routings, the new service will be linked with Kuehne+Nagel Intra-Asia network to provide customers with better connectivity within the growing region of Asia Pacific. Yngve Ruud, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+Nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, comments: “It is a very special moment for us to see Kuehne+Nagel 747-8F “Inspire.” taking off. Together with the very last 747-8F that we named “Empower.”, the aircraft will support our customers with reliable and flexible solutions globally, continuing the legacy of the most incredible aviation programs in history. We are delighted to celebrate this day with our partners Atlas Air and Boeing and looking forward to see our aircraft connecting the world.” The Boeing 747-8F serves an incredibly important role in global air freight, with advanced technology that allows for lower fuel consumption, higher capacity and unique nose-loading capability. “This 747-8 delivery underscores the importance of our long-term strategic partnership with Kuehne+Nagel and our commitment to support their continued growth and expansion,” said John Dietrich, President and Chief …

The global logistics automation market is expected to grow from $47.23 billion in 2021 to $55.69 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.9%. The logistics automation market is expected to grow to $94.02 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 14%, said a latest report by ResearchAndMarkets. The main types of components in logistics automation are hardware, software, and services. The hardware market in logistic automation is used to describe any of the physical components of an analog or digital computer. These are used by several end users, including retail and e-commerce, automotive, food and beverage, logistics and transportation, and others. While North America was the largest region in the logistics automation market in 2021. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the logistics automation market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The growth of the e-commerce industry is expected to propel the growth of the logistics automation market going forward. Ecommerce refers to the buying and selling of goods and services with the help of the Internet. Logistics automation is used by the e-commerce industry to maintain its stock in warehouses and distribution centers.

DHLink, the smart logistics arm of DHGATE Group, officially announced its cooperation with SHOPLINE Logistics, an independent logistics expert of JOYY Group. By fully leveraging the advantages of direct mail channels, warehousing, and freight transportation on both sides, the collaboration will simplify the logistics process, eliminate connection problems, and enhance transport efficiency. The shortcomings of e-commerce, specifically logistical problems, will become a part of the past for cross-border merchants, enabling millions of consumers worldwide to enjoy fast and reliable delivery. “The rapid development of the cross-border e-commerce industry has motivated merchants to place more emphasis on the global market. As we move towards globalization, these opportunities coexist with risks. Coming up with a practical and effective last-mile solution is a crucial part of optimizing business efficiency, providing value-added services, and improving the overall consumer experience. Allowing consumers to experience a high-quality and seamless one-step logistics service is also an essential part of branding, especially for ambitious merchants. The emergence of new models, such as the DTC e-commerce website, now provides cross-border merchants with more options,” said an official release.

To strengthen last-mile logistics, Blue Dart has plans to set up 25 retail outlets in Tier-I and Tier-II towns as part of its expansion roadmap. Besides these 25 retails outlets, the company plans to establish 100 similar facilities. These stores have opened in Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, and Gujarat, Blue Dart said in a statement. The company said it now serves over 55,400 locations. “Blue Dart’s store expansion will increase accessibility for our customers and expand our network. To strengthen last-mile logistics to the farthest reaches of the country, we will continue to locate in new areas and broaden our reach,” said Ketan Kulkarni, Chief Commercial Officer at Blue Dart.

Amazon has debuted a warehouse robot that can pick up and sort millions of individual unpackaged products, in a move that will automate more jobs as the US ecommerce giant faces pressure to significantly cut logistics costs. The group said the robot, named Sparrow, is its first one with the capability to “detect, select, and handle individual products in our inventory”, a task that had previously been the exclusive domain of Amazon’s warehouse employees. Sparrow, a robotic arm that harnesses computer vision technology to identify and pick up small products, was unveiled at an event recently. The ecommerce group said the robot would “benefit” its employees, who could now focus on less repetitive tasks in the company’s warehouses. It said 700 new “categories” of jobs had been created at the company related to robotics.