Tag: India

Indian carriers get ready to launch cargo flights abroad

Posted by | Jul 7, 2008 | |

With competition hotting up from big-time players such as FedEx and UPS as well as the established international cargo airlines, two of India’s top express players have chalked out plans to go overseas.

Over the past few years, the number of cargo carriers has gone up significantly. From the lone Blue Dart, the only Indian cargo carrier, there are today at least half a dozen more players.

Blue Dart Aviation, a subsidiary of express cargo carrier Blue Dart Express, has drafted a plan to start flying abroad. The plan, said Tulsi Mirchandaney, formerly senior vice-president, marketing and projects, and now managing director of Blue Dart Aviation, is in
the initial stage.

Mirchandaney should know because she was not only instrumental in marketing air cargo products but also involved in route planning and space allocation.

The decision to fly abroad has been prompted by the under-utilisation of Blue Dart’s fleet. Blue Dart has seven planes – four Boeing 737s and three Boeing 757s – that fly around the country for only eight hours at night.

In 2005, DHL Express completed the acquisition of 81.03 per cent of the equity capital of Blue Dart Express. Under the deal, Blue Dart continues to operate as an independent brand and provides a complete spectrum of domestic services through synergies with DHL.

The company is currently in talks with its parent DHL to find out ways in which the two could work together and ensure that Blue Dart planes can be used for international operations.

While Blue Dart firms up its plan, GATI, an express cargo delivery major with experience in distribution and supply chain management solutions, has started its foreign air cargo operations with Air India.

GATI’s managing director and chief executive officer Mahendra Agarwal said that his company had an agreement with Air India to take cargo overseas. This would be a follow-up to GATI’s tie-up late last year with the national carrier.

According to that tie-up, three of AI’s Boeing 727-200 freighters operate with the GATI logo within the country.

Keen to establish its presence globally, GATI has set up offices in China, Japan, Dubai, Hong Kong Thailand, Nepal and Sri Lanka and has plans to foray into other markets. The express major’s revenues have grown from USD 1 46 million to USD 7.04 million over the past three years.

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Speed Post & Express Parcel to cost 20 pct more (India)

Posted by | Jul 7, 2008 | |

India Post is planning across-the-board hike in the rates of its mailing, courier and freight services. The rate hike, which comes after nine years, would be applicable to services like speed post, express parcel post and logistics post, and would be in the range of 15-20 pct.

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DHL eyes logistics business in SAARC region

Posted by | Jul 2, 2008 | |

The company now plans to introduce intra-SAARC logistics products along with its domestic partner Blue Dart Express in a bid to tap the nearly Rs 190-crore (about euro 28 million) express logistics market in the SAARC countries.

DHL will offer services like worldwide document express, worldwide parcel express, import express, economy select and road express. The company is in the process of designing these multi-model products for use on both air and surface networks. Currently, DHL offers road express services between India and Bangladesh trade lanes.

It has also firmed up plans to introduce the above products in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. DHL also plans to capture a major share of the euro 5-billion unorganised trade market in the Saarc region by being the first organised player to tap this segment.

As a trade facilitator, DHL believes in developing the SAARC trade lane and has rolled out the SAARC products to help create a backbone for transportation and trade within SAARC countries, he said.

Industry studies also suggest that the intra-SAARC trade can increase by up to 11 times once trade barriers are lifted. Analysts suggest that the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), likely to be implemented by the middle of 2008, can lead to a manifold expansion of trade and investment in the region.

The experience of three major trade blocks (Nafta, ASEAN and EU) also bears out the fact that removal of barriers can significantly boost trade.

According to an industry analyst, India remains the hub of trade in the SAARC region with a share of over 90 pct. Growth in trade has driven by the India-Sri Lanka, India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh trade lanes.
1 INR = 0.0231269 USD

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Postmen to have beat codes for fast delivery of letters

Posted by | Jun 30, 2008 | |

The Postal department has introduced a postman beat code along with the pin code for fast delivery of letters and parcels. The new service was introduced all over the country a few months ago.

Haryana Postal Services Director Manisha Bansal Badal said, “The scheme was introduced in Haryana in March and has helped a lot in delivering letters and parcels in time.”

The scheme was introduced in the city last week. Badal, who has served as Senior Superintendent of Post Offices in Ludhiana, said, “Any one who is posting a letter is supposed to write the pincode and the postman beat code of the area where the letter is being sent. This will help in delivering the letter to its destination soon. While sorting out the letters, the postal employees will just read the postman beat code of the city and put that letter in his tray. This way the time, which the postal employees used to take earlier for reading the whole address, is saved.”

The city has 14 delivery offices of the Postal department from where about 300 postmen collect the postal articles for delivery every day. So there will be about 300 postman beat codes.

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Robert G Sutton appointed as India COO, DHL Exel Supply Chain

Posted by | Jun 25, 2008 | |

DHL announced the appointment of Robert G Sutton as Chief Operating Officer of its supply chain business unit. He takes over from Rajeev Rajadhyaksha, Managing Director of DHL Lemuir Logistics who has retired from DHL after many successful years of managing growth for the freight and contract logistics business. Based in Mumbai, India, Sutton will be responsible for all aspects of DHL’s supply chain activities, in particular leading the strategic development of DHL’s supply chain and solutions network to both drive and support the company’s growth plans.

“We are delighted to welcome Robert to the DHL India team. His extensive experience of over 25 years in the logistics industry across geographies is ideally suited to meet the challenges and opportunities that the DHL brand will experience over the coming years. His experience in the logistics industry will help him to drive DHL Exel Supply Chain’s ambitious growth plans to the next level of success,” said Paul Graham, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Exel Supply Chain – Asia Pacific.

Prior to moving to India, Sutton was Regional Operations and Business Development Director of the DHL Exel’s Middle East operations, focused on creating a platform for quality and consistency across the various operating sites and geographies, achieving the growth objectives and successful implementation of new contracts.

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