A Report by Shevya Chaturvedi

One of the major events in the realm of supply chain and logistics was the national logistics summit held on August 11, 2023, on the theme “navigating the challenges and opportunities of the modern logistics landscape” at PHD House, New Delhi.

Served as a platform for insightful discussions, knowledge sharing, and collaborative exploration of innovative strategies to address the challenges and opportunities within the logistics sector, the event witnessed a pivotal gathering that brought together industry experts, thoughtful leaders, and stakeholders to deliberate on the evolving landscape of logistics and supply chain management.

Moderated by Yashpal Sharma, managing director of Skyways Group, the first technical session was entitled “Air Cargo: Emerging Trends in Global Trade.” Abdulla Alkhallafi, Cargo Manager, India and Nepal, Emirates Sky Cargo; Satish Lakkaraju, Global Head, Air Freight & Pharma, WIZ; Manoj Jain, Managing Director, Deep Blue Xpress; and Sanjiv Edward, Chief Executive Officer, Cargo & Logistics, GMR Group’ were among the panelists.

The session covered government-initiated programmes such as national logistics policy, Gati Shakti Masterplan, among others. The panelists stated that there is a need to understand that there is an inherited problem for every means of transport including air. Every mode of transport confronts challenges, and there should be innovative solutions in place to deal with them. Unique approaches along with intelligence for the cargo will help to find the right solutions.

The Technical Session 2 is based on “Multi-modal Logistics: Integrating Modes of Transport for Efficient and Sustainable Delivery”. The session’s Chief Guest was Dr. Surendra Ahirwar, Joint Secretary, Logistics, DPIIT, and this discussion was moderated by Abhishek P. Rao, President, RSA Global. The speakers for this session were Anil Syal, President of Safexpress, and Shonik Goyal, President and Head Supply Chain, Sheela Foams.

The Session Chief guest, Dr. Surendra Ahirwar, Joint Secretary, Logistics, DPIIT, emphasised the importance of the biggest master plan, which is Gati Shakti Master Plan.  “No country defines logistics the way it is explained in the National Logistics Policy of India,” he said. Highlighting the importance of the plan, he stressed upon multimodality, last mile connectivity, integrated approach and adoption of digitalisation. “Digital connect is very important which can bridge the gap of infrastructure deficit.”

Following the technical session 2, there were organised small discussions, which clearly showcased the government plan of action to foster multi-modal logistics and to reduce the logistics cost:

Fireside chat 1 with Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan, Chairman, National Shipping Board, Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Government of India, on Advancing Coastal Shipping: The Role of the National Shipping Board in Making Coastal a Preferred Choice for Multimodal Operators: Challenges and Opportunities for Users and Service Providers by Abhishek P. Rao, President, RSA Global.

Fireside Chat 2 with Sanjay Bajpai, Executive Director, CONCORD and Rudra Shriram, Director, DCM Containers on Harnessing the Power of Rail Containerization: Advancing Efficient and Sustainable Domestic Transport in the Modern Logistics Landscape by Abhishek P Rao, President, RSA Global.

Fireside Chat 3: With Anil Khandelwal, Principal Executive Director, Gati Shakti Railway Board, Ministry of Railways, on Promoting Intermodal Collaboration: Gati Shakti’s Contribution to Seamless Integration of Railways and Other Modes of Transport by Abhishek P. Rao, President, RSA Global.

Fireside chat 4: with Anil Syal, President, Safexpress, on Optimising Supply Chain Efficiency: Strategies to Reduce Logistics Costs by Dr. Rakesh Paras Singh, Chairman, and Institute of Supply Chain Management.

The third Technical Session: Blockchain for Logistics: Opportunities and Challenges was moderated by – Ritesh Chaudhari, Director, Digital Business & IT, Henkel Group.Speakers were Manish Gupta, Practitioner, SCM & Logistics, and Digital Transformation;  Girish Surpur, General Manager, Logistics, NEC Corporation India; Sameer Jain, Vice President, Supply Chain, Reliance Jio; and Deepak Joshi, Advisor, Skyfer Logistic Inc., who discussed how blockchain can help in the multimodal logistics.

Another session focused on “Sustainability in Supply Chain Management: Implementing ESG Practises”, was moderated by Aditya Vazirani, CEO, Robinsons Global Logistics Solutions and the panelists were: Hitesh Bhuraria, Co-Founder & CEO, Sangti Tech; Deepak Sharma, Head of Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Logistics, Bajaj Electricals Limited; Amar Variawa, Country Director, Public Affairs, Sustainability, and ESG, Michelin India Private Ltd; and Anirban Sanyal, Head of Supply Chain, Century Ply.

Last but not the least, skill development is vital for the logistics industry. Alpana Chaturvedi, CEO of My Logistics Gurukul moderated the session which focused on “Skilling the Logistics Workforce: Building a Skilled and Resilient Workforce”. Vipan Jain, Chairman, Task Pillar on Skill Development, Air Cargo Forum India; Prof. (Dr.) Vandana Arora Sethi, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Lloyd Group of Institutions; Shweta Goela, General Manager, Strategy, Safexpress Private Limited; Sumesh Kampassi, Vice President, RSA Global Were among the speakers in this session.