GEODIS has completed the acquisition of American company ‘Need It Now Delivers’ following the regulatory approvals. According to an official release, “The acquisition significantly expands GEODIS’s U.S. presence in the areas of contract logistics and last mile delivery and strengthens its end-to-end freight network domestically and internationally.” Based in Keasbey, New Jersey, the company operates a freight network with a strong presence in the East including over 65 company locations and more than 300 interconnected distribution points. “The completion of the acquisition will accelerate our continued growth in the U.S., which has become an essential market for GEODIS as we remain committed to building a fully integrated network of transport and logistics hubs globally. This acquisition allows GEODIS to expand our offerings in a consolidating market and solidify our position as one of the world’s top 10 leading logistics providers,” said Marie-Christine Lombard, CEO, GEODIS.

According to the fourth LEADS (Logistics Ease Across Different States) 2022 report unveiled by the Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal recently, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat are among the 15 States and Union Territories categorised as achievers in the logistics index chart 2022. The index is an indicator of the efficiency of logistical services necessary for promoting exports and economic growth. “Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tripura are the other States categorised as fast movers in the ranking. The 15 States and UTs ranked in the aspirers category include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir, and Arunachal Pradesh. The other States and UTs which are in the achievers category include Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand,” the report stated. The report ranks the States on the basis of their logistics ecosystem, highlights the key logistics-related challenges faced by the stakeholders and includes suggestive recommendations. The index aims at enhancing the focus on improving logistics performance across states which is essential for improving the country’s trade and reducing transaction cost.

Warehousing activities in the national capital will soon become operational round the clock as the Delhi government has issued a draft notification in this regard and invited suggestions and objections on the move from the stakeholders within 15 days from the publication of the notice. According to official reports, the move comes after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena last week approved applications of more than 300 establishments, including online shopping and delivery shops, hotels, restaurants, and transport facilities and warehouses to operate round the clock. He also stressed on the inordinate delay, adhocism, randomness and unjustified discretion on part of the labour department in disposing of applications made by the firms for these exemptions. Delhi labour department also recently uploaded a draft notification exempting warehouses from sections 15 and 16 of Delhi Shops and Establishment Act 1954 which will pave the way for round-the-clock operation of such establishments.

Arif A Siddiqui, Vice President, Warehousing Association of India (WAI) and Founder & Director Coign Consulting shares his views on the National Logistics Policy, he says, “National Logistics Policy will help to develop a technologically enabled, integrated, cost efficient, resilient, sustainable and trusted logistics ecosystem in the country for accelerated and inclusive growth.” He adds, “This vision will be achieved by integrating the modes of transport, optimizing and utilizing logistics infrastructure, standardizing processes and service quality, modernizing technology and upgradation of infrastructure and formalization to reduce fragmentation in the sector. This will reduce cost of logistics in the country, improve Logistics Performance Index (LPI) and create data driven decision support mechanism for an efficient logistics ecosystem. One of the strategies close to me for achieving the above objectives will be to enable the development of comprehensive world class warehouse infrastructure that will facilitate the improvement in efficiency, productivity and service quality by standardization of specifications and use of technology, automation and digitization of the operations. On the other hand development of a robust framework for logistics parks to streamline approval processes to facilitate investments.”

Pradhaan Air Express, India’s youngest all-cargo airline, which commenced operations in October has named its first aircraft ‘Pehalwan’ – which is all set to transport cargo. ‘Pehalwan’ arrived in India in July 2022 and a second aircraft is expected by the end of the year. With a payload of around 21 tons, the A320 Freighter has an ideal range to cover Indian sub-continent, Middle East and Far East destinations, said reports. The airline operated its first domestic flight on 1 October to Mumbai and returned the same day. This was followed by its maiden international operation with a flight to Hanoi on 9 October. The airline received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Ministry of Civil Aviation in September.

According to the Boeing Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) 2022-2041, there will be robust demand for dedicated freighters to support global supply chains and growing express networks. According to reports, “Carriers will need 2,800 additional freighters overall including 940 new widebody models in addition to converted narrow-body and widebody freighters over the forecast period.” The report added, “Boeing CMO is expecting 1,855 passenger-to-freighter conversions over the period. Following a 10 per cent decline in 2020, air cargo traffic bounced back strongly from the initial impact of the pandemic, posting an annual growth rate of 21 percent in 2021. Boeing forecasts air cargo will increase at an average compound rate of 4.1 percent per year over two decades. This is an increase over our 2021 forecast of 4 percent,” says the update. Robust growth in East Asia, acceleration of global e-commerce and evolution of supply chains will be key drivers over the next 20 years.”

Indian Railways is planning to launch the semi-high-speed freight train Vande Bharat on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. According to the reports, Indian Railways, with an objective of capturing additional high-value time-sensitive cargo, which is presently being transported through other modes of transport, is planning to introduce super-fast parcel services. “These services are being planned via new ‘Freight EMU rolling stock built on the Vande-Bharat platform, the first rake of which is likely to be introduced in service very soon. Some of the salient features of the freight EMU rakes include an operational speed potential of 160 kmph and the rakes are being designed for palletized container transportation with a distributed powering with 50% powering,” said reports.

V-Trans (India) Ltd, a preferred single window logistics solution provider accelerates its growth as it expands its footprint in North India with the opening of eight offices, with a deeper penetration in business verticals. The eight new offices are in Varanasi, Sitapur, Noida, Sikandrabad (UP), Delhi, Gurgaon, Ajmer, and Ratangarh. The new branches are launched considering the influx in demand for logistics solutions and our best offerings in this region. V-Trans is enabled with best-in-the-business infrastructure and has presence across the nation having more than 850 branches, fleet strength of over 1500 advanced trucks with track and trace facility. Mahendra Shah, Chairman and Managing Director, V-Trans (India) Ltd, said, “We are proud to announce our robust growth in the North Zone of our country with 8 new branches. One of the key accomplishments for every logistics organization is the strength of the infrastructure and expanding network, and we want to continue reaching such milestones in the future. The North region is one of the most significant markets for us. We have expanded our network rapidly for past few years in this region and aim to continue the same. There are various clients looking for logistics solutions and our offerings are apt to fit the gap.” Further he added, “Our IT-enabled infrastructure helps us to provide the best services to our customers. We have established a widespread network of branches across India that caters to delivering the needs of growing industries. Our effectiveness and experience in handling and delivering various industry products make us a viable choice for all industries.”

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (“APSEZ”), India’s largest ports and logistics company and part of Adani Group, has received approvals from NCLT Ahmedabad and NCLT Hyderabad for acquiring the remaining 58.1% stake in Gangavaram Port Limited (GPL) through the composite scheme of arrangement. With this stake purchase, GPL will become a 100% subsidiary of APSEZ. Commenting on it, Karan Adani, CEO and Whole-time Director, APSEZ said, “Acquisition of GPL is a key milestone in consolidating our position as India’s largest transport utility and in achieving East Coast & West Coast parity. Gangavaram Port has excellent rail & road network connectivity and is the business gateway to the hinterland spread over eight states. The recent addition of a container handling terminal will enable us to accelerate our growth of cargo volumes”. APSEZ also brings world-class logistics synergies to the table, which will propel Gangavaram Port to a potential cargo volume of 250 MMT. This will boost the pace of industrialization of Andhra Pradesh, added Mr Adani.

Qatar Airways Cargo is stepping up its digitalisation efforts with a revamped cargo customer portal called Digital Lounge. The Digital Lounge platform offers customers several features such as booking, shipment tracking, account management, reporting, and other services online. It offers instant confirmation for general cargo bookings subject to availability and required validations. Qatar Airways Cargo customers can book free sale and allotments with dimensions (excluding BUP). In future, customers will be able to book any product available in the portfolio of Qatar Airways Cargo through the Digital Lounge. The Digital Lounge portal is built on the Salesforce platform and uses Salesforce Customer 360 features integrated with its native experience and analytics platform. The airline said it hoped the new platform will enable customers to retrieve information more quickly, and will no longer have to resort to phone or email communication as in the past. Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways, said: “Through the Digital Lounge, Qatar Airways Cargo has opted for an omni-channel digital strategy whereby the customers are given a wide variety of choices in how they wish to interact with us.”