Category Archives: Warehousing

FM Logistic has expanded its warehousing footprint to service large fulfilment requirements in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by taking the handover of its 3.7 lakhs sq. ft. facility at Welspun One Logistics Parks’ (WOLP) flagship park in Bhiwandi. The project was delivered as per agreed timelines despite pandemic related lockdowns and disruptions. With this handover, FM Logistic will have access to a Grade A warehousing facility built according to global standards. The project is MIDC-approved and is 100 per cent compliant with statutory building, safety, and fire norms.

V-Trans won the “Best Integrated Logistics Service Provider” award by India Cargo Awards, India’s topmost Supply chain awards, which helps to create a platform to recognise those behind the success of the cargo and logistics industry on 30 March 2022. Aditya Shah, Executive Director, V-Trans (India) Ltd received the award from Amrit Lal Meena, IAS, Special Secretary (Logistics) – Dept. of Commerce, Gov. of India at Crowne Plaza, New Delhi.

Ecom Express has leased over 4 lakh sq. ft. of warehousing space in the logistic hubs of Bhiwandi and Farukhnagar from Welspun One Logistics Parks. Bhiwandi and Farukhnagar are both thriving Logistics Ecosystems servicing the consumption centers of MMR and NCR respectively. Ease of connectivity to expressways, highways and nearby states have established both these locations as critical warehousing micro-markets. Through this deal, Ecom Express will add to its existing warehousing inventory in these strategic markets, built specifically to meet their needs whilst at par with global “Grade A” standards. According to the deal, Ecom Express has leased the warehousing spaces for a term of 9 years at both the parks, in two separate transactions and these projects are expected to go live by the second half of 2022.

GEODIS announced that it has signed a binding agreement to acquire Keppel Logistics. The project will significantly increase GEODIS’ Contract Logistics footprint and e-commerce fulfillment services in Singapore and Southeast Asia. This project is a significant step along GEODIS’ strategic roadmap for the Asia-Pacific region, where GEODIS currently employs 3,700 people spread over 76 sites. The acquisition will reinforce GEODIS’s position as a leading logistics service provider, further expanding its footprint by adding to recent investments in contract logistics sites in India, South Korea, and Australia.

Following last year’s well-perceived first Masterclass on Pharma Logistics—an international joint initiative between the air cargo industry and world-renowned academic institutions—a second edition will take place from September 5 to 9, 2022 at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi. Apart from highlighting the current critical aspects of pharma logistics, this masterclass aims to create a unique opportunity for industry professionals to gain more in-depth knowledge, as well as for academics and Ph.D. students to obtain advanced insights into how pharmaceutical supply chains are organised and logistics processes are optimised through applied technology for the pharma and life science sectors.

In a major land deal in NCR, the Capital Markets division of leading independent real estate advisory ANAROCK Group has successfully closed the sale of a 41-acre land parcel on the Ballabhgarh-Sohna Highway. Pardos Logistics, a subsidiary of Pardos Real Estate (a development platform incubated by the DMI Group’s Alternative Investment Fund) will utilise this land parcel to develop 1 million sq ft of prime warehousing space. The prevailing land prices around the Ballabhgarh-Sohna Highway region range from Rs 1.4 to 1.5 crore/acre. Akshay Uday, Sr. Vice President – ANAROCK Capital, says, “The land, which was acquired from a group of Delhi-based investors, will be developed over a period of 18 months with an investment corpus of approximately Rs 200 crore. The land is ideally located, benefiting from proximity to critical road infrastructures like the Delhi-Vadodara Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, National Highway 8, and KMP Expressway.”

The India Cargo Awards commenced with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, recognising true leaders and their hard work, passion, and commitment to the industry. This year’s awards were all the more meaningful since they were a homage to all those who overcame unprecedented challenges during the pandemic. The event was attended by Chief Guest Amrit Lal Meena, Special Secretary (Logistics), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Commerce, Government of India, and Guest of Honour Piyush Shrivastava, IES, Sr. Economic Advisor for the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.

Keku Bomi Gazder, CEO of AAI Cargo Logistics & Allied Services Co. Ltd., has almost three decades of experience in the Middle East and India in the aviation sector, holding key roles in firms such as Air France-KLM Cargo, Martinair Cargo, and Saudi Arabian Airlines, among others. He has been with AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited since June 2017, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Airports Authority of India, which is part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. He oversees cargo and logistics operations at over 90 AAI airports, identifying business opportunities across the company’s many verticals for future growth and developing business strategies to stay ahead of the competition in the cargo market. AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited has begun managing the In-line Hold Baggage Screening System at AAI-managed airports. He works closely with the Ministry of Civil Aviation on a variety of initiatives. Gazder is a part of the following initiatives and committees: the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Krishi Udaan initiative; the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Defence Convergence Committee; the Governing Council of the Logistics Skill Council (LSC), established under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Investment Clearance Cell; the Air Cargo Forum of India (ACFI); and the Confederation of Indian Industries’ National Committee on Civil Aviation.

Shailender Anand, Managing Director (India) & Director (Dubai) of Pronk Multiservice India Pvt. Ltd., began his career in sales after graduating with honours from Punjab University, Chandigarh. Anand’s career in the forwarding sector began with Airfreight Ltd, and he then relocated to Dubai to work in the same industry. After 10 amazing years in Dubai, visiting about 60 countries and learning about the global industry, he chose to return to India to pursue better future opportunities. After nearly two decades in the forwarding industry, Anand joined Logistics & Supply Chain in 2011 to work in value-added services, specifically industrial packaging. In 2011, he joined Pronk as a partner and launched Pronk in India. Anand’s adventure at Pronk has spanned over 11 years, and it continues in the industrial packaging and solutions market. Pronk India was approached by Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bengaluru, to develop a solution and boxes to pack 30,000 ventilators for COVID-19 patients in 2020. When India was trying to deal with the pandemic, the Pronk India team, led by Shailender Anand, was working full-time at all of Pronk’s plants across the country, with special clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs to operate from all of their locations in India.

Softlink Global was founded by Amit Maheshwari, who also serves as its CEO. Having begun his career as a freight forwarder and customs broker, the logistics technology guru, Maheshwari, founded Softlink Global with the objective of providing a single platform software to integrate and automate the entire logistics operation of the company. An engineer by education, he is a technology evangelist well-known in the logistics business for his thought leadership and game-changing ideas. His attention to detail, technical and creative skills and commercial awareness enabled Softlink to achieve success with each software product created. Maheshwari’s knowledge and experience include strategic planning, information management, financial resource management, product development, and marketing. He is in charge of Softlink’s worldwide operations, which comprise all regional business operations as well as corporate activities including marketing, product development, quality, and technology.