5 Capabilities Required by Ecommerce Logistics Company in India

Ecommerce logistics service mainly depends on the speed of packaging, shipping, and delivery of the order as fast as possible. In ecommerce logistics, real-time traceability has become a necessity to meet the needs of consumers and to solve possible problems of delivery or loss of packages. E-commerce logistics are critical to success as the consumer always has another option to shop from. With the added pressure of shorter deliverables and returns, ecommerce logistics have become more challenging.

Businesses need an efficient ecommerce logistics supply chain to meet the demand, and many businesses simply do not have the resources to deal with many of the logistics issues that are related to ecommerce. Ecommerce businesses need to consider whether or not to outsource their e-commerce logistics. Outsourcing services to an ecommerce logistics company in India will give businesses added advantages like technology, manpower, expertise, and access to a larger geographical area for marketing their products. Before selecting a partner to outsource your ecommerce logistics, you need to check whether they can fulfil critical ecommerce logistics.

 

Some of the ecommerce logistics capabilities that are critical are:

 

1. Inventory localisation to reduce cost

 

In today’s market, the requirement of shorter shipping cycles and delivery time windows has made it prudent to keep your inventory in various warehouses that are closer to your consumer base to reduce delivery times. Services that can provide local distribution options are often cheaper and help keep costs low.  Implementing a regionalised inventory opens up the possibility of using regional carriers, and other delivery options that are not possible over longer distances.

 

Safexpress, a market leader in supply chain and logistics, offers solutions from warehousing to timely distribution of goods across PAN-India. Safexpress B2C specializes in Ecommerce logistics and supply chain management offering strong, tech-enabled, real-time data capturing solutions to facilitate time-sensitive, hassle-free, safe warehousing and inter-modal express distribution ensuring shorter shipping distance and efficient service.

 

2. Usage of big data through smart analytics

 

Data has become an integral part to identify demand patterns and trends of consumers, enabling the business to anticipate the needs of their consumers and make necessary changes to their processes. With the help of technology, real-time data analytics is possible for better decision-making.  These technologies integrate machine learning and AI-based solutions for route navigation, driver allotment, and much more which enables businesses to save on total operational costs, reduce deliver time and improve on last-mile logistics.

3. Automation

 

Automation, especially in ecommerce logistics ensures to maintain your promised deliverables to your consumers. Automated systems help to notify consumers when delays occur along the supply chain. The usage of robots, automated delivery trucks, and drones is expected to make automation commonplace in the near future. Although automation requires a major investment, it increases efficiency and ensures the long-term return of investment for ecommerce businesses. 

 

4. Managing returns

 

Sometimes consumers are unhappy with a purchase and want to return or exchange them, a process also known as reverse logistics.  The costs and the process for handling reverse logistics need to be considered while sourcing for a logistics partner. The lack of proper product-return processes would lead to consumer and revenue loss.

5. Last mile

 

The last mile is the stage in the delivery process when the package travels the last part of the journey to the consumer’s door. It is challenging due to traffic and narrow lanes in urban areas. Late delivery due to last-mile inefficiency will create a negative impression on the consumer.  

 

Ecommerce logistics company in India needs to develop strong e-commerce logistics using technology for e-commerce businesses.

Growing Demand Of Pharma Logistics Company In India

India is the largest provider of generic drugs and ranks third in terms of pharmaceutical production by volume. The domestic pharmaceutical industry includes a network of drug companies and manufacturing units. With India’s domestic pharmaceutical market estimated at US$ 42 billion in 2021 and likely to reach US$ 65 billion by 2024,  pharma logistics play an important role in ensuring safe and timely supply chain management. 

Pharma logistics company in India needs to provide traceable, secure, and compliant supply chains with end to end visibility to the pharma industry. The growth of the market for pharma logistics is also attributed to the increasing demand for Over-The-Counter (OTC) medicines such as vitamins, minerals, supplements, drugs, and other medicinal products.  

Outsourcing has been a popular way for pharma companies to enhance their operational efficiencies, expand their geographical presence, and increase diagnostic expertise and on-demand services. Pharma logistics management plays a very important role to ensure medical supplies are always adequate and wastage can be avoided. 

The pharmaceutical manufacturing companies are increasingly outsourcing logistics management to healthcare logistics company due to which pharma companies can utilize state-of-the-art technologies such as telematics and remote monitoring to provide safety and convenience during transportation operations.

Pharmaceuticals are invaluable, often expensive, and sometimes lifesaving products, so the pharma logistics services are tremendously important. These products need to get to their destination, and they need to get there quickly and safely.

Safexpress, a leading tech-based logistics service provider with its multimodal network across India are well equipped for the unique requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. A wide range of services that include storage, reverse logistics, advanced tracking, and tracing technologies ensure complete supply chain visibility and reporting. 

With advanced planning, innovative strategies, and a professional team, Safexpress pharma logistics solutions are designed to adhere to standard quality norms and regulations to facilitate the smooth and efficient shipping of cargo.

Few benefits of outsourcing to a pharma logistics company in India are:

 · Transparency and visibility

The supply chain in healthcare is complex and time-sensitive as it involves proper measures to be maintained along the entire supply chain process.  As multiple stakeholders are involved in the supply chain, the visibility and traceability of the cargo becomes difficult to maintain leading to loss and damage of cargo. With the help of the latest technologies communication and transparency along the entire supply chain ensures proper control over the movement of products. 

It also helps to prevent the distribution of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in the market. Logistics monitoring at every stage of the supply chain provides visibility and services can be tailored to meet the complex needs of the healthcare market.

 · Warehouse management

With the pharmaceutical market growing, the need for proper warehouse management is very essential to avoid counterfeiting, maintain proper stock management and avoid wastage of products. The pharmaceutical industry relies heavily on logistics services for this task.

 · Adhering quickly to new legislation and regulations

With regulations constantly changing and different in other countries, it can be very difficult for any company to keep track of the same. Healthcare logistics company  would be able to guide pharma companies regarding the safety and packaging requirements to follow to maintain the environmental and policy regulations set by the governments.

 In Conclusion

The technology that can be used to track pharma shipments is ever-changing and pharma logistics company in India can help pharma companies to monitor shipments, recognize if a problem is taking place, and be able to intercede quickly to thwart potential threats. 

Source - https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/onv7jf/growing_demand_of_pharma_logistics_company_in/

Virtuosity of Virtual Warehousing

Being Amazon Prime member has its benefits. Every promotional or sale events (Diwali Dhamaka, etc.) opens for prime members a day in advance of other less fortunate folks and allows to help ourselves with products of our choice leisurely, with multiplicity of options to choose from. From a regular for books to my foray over the time in different product segments, I should admit, has been occasioned by my Prime membership. 

Being a Prime member residing in a Prime city, I am offered a window of opportunity to make an early commitment to a product and it is incumbent on the portal to stay true to its offering. And the portal has pampered my lot of Prime members by “setting aside” a portion of select products while at the same time introducing us to other novel stuff. Brilliant, one’d say. They are shitty at times too but I often wondered with amazement as to how these platforms pull off such shows!

Virtual warehousing is all about managing with the inventory data virtually while physical inventory in itself could be located at separate places. Virtual or data warehousing in effect, is a compilation of inventory on a single platform and then relating them with network of fulfillment centres and logistics companies. 

So, once an order is placed on the platform, the virtual warehouse will locate the product within the network and irrespective of where the product is physically stored, virtual warehouse will identify the best possible way to fulfill the order as quickly as possible. What virtual warehouse achieves in effect is it simulates a virtual supply chain, a network comprised of different networks of logistics companies and physical warehouses comprised of fulfillment centres and stores of marketplace sellers. 

So, billions of products physically warehoused by fulfillment centres and with sellers spread over the length and breadth belonging to millions of registered suppliers are taken care of by a host of logistics companies but the entire operation is managed on virtual warehouse. This involves a complex web of artificial intelligence and metadata. Brick & mortar structures of suppliers, sellers and fulfillment centres on one side and vehicles and network of logistics companies on the other essentially become sideshows.

A burgeoning middle class in constant search of instant gratification will choose a platform that can deliver them that the first and virtual supply chain giants like Amazon, eBay, Flipkart & others have been the most successful ones. Indeed, the rise and rise of virtual warehousing can be attributed to these players. And with more and more online retail brands choosing virtual warehousing coupled with a strong omnichannel supply chain system, it is imperative to look at the challenges that are inherent in the model.

At the centre of the entire chain is the consumer; a consumer who can be fickle and is given to be impulsive. There is also a perceptional carry on which can affect a set of customers either ways. It means that a product in question could suffer variability in demand in different areas and geographies. In order to keep the consumer interested, online retailers would need to diversify the stock portfolios with enhancements in offer as well as choices. 

Also, because a satisfied customer is one would have the order delivered yesterday, fulfillment centres would need to be as nearer as possible. This would mean decentralized fulfillment of orders. This again is predicated on the logistics companies who themselves have to operate within a range of restrictions. This all will mean enhanced input cost. At the systemic level, there is no guarantee that virtual inventory and physical inventory are equal at all places at all times. To counter stock discrepancy, online retailers have resorted to another set of AI called Virtual Transfers, escalating the cost further.

Businesses would be in doubt about their own decisions regarding stock availability, allocation, and fulfillment. A panacea sort of thing can end up being at odds with physical world.

Reverse Logistics Process in E-commerce Industry

KPMG in a recent study (Ecommerce Retail Logistics in India; 2018) estimated that return constitutes up to 20% of total transactions in ecommerce logistics with Cash on Delivery (COD) orders going up to 40%. With online shopping slowly gaining currency in Tier II & III cities and bulk of orders expected to being COD-based, return to origin is expected to go further up. In the United States, return forms around 10% of total transactions (US National Retail Federation; 2018). 

Clearly, lack of standardization, impulse buying and sub-standard products are the major reasons for a picture like this. For a seller though, return up to 40% is a nightmare, no less. Apart from the cost of logistics, expenses incurred in rebranding, refurbishing, resale or simply disposal of return goods may further escalate the total cost. Embedding the cost of shipping, including 40% of expected return, will make the product commercially unviable and competition would ensure that seller doesn’t resort to this. Meantime, the shipper will be left wobbling.

Reverse logistics – the process of transporting goods back from the customer to the business, including for replacement, is integral to all businesses. It has been there for years, though for businesses and logistics companies it has become sort of a headache with the rise in online retailing, cross-channel returns and return of bulky goods like ATM machines, V-sats, furniture, etc. Reverse logistics is costly and labour intensive. 

It means spending time and resources on a product that’s no longer an asset. It is also unpredictable and complicated and puts fulfillment centres and warehouses under tremendous pressure. Returned goods lying indefinitely with logistics companies for the lack of a clearly laid down procedural roadmap of delivery, is a common sight. Clearly, what is unproductive is burdensome and little effort is made to address this systemic malaise.

Reverse logistics is a reality and importance that both manufacturers and logistics companies must accord to reverse logistics should be lost on no one. Apart from the usual stuffs like strengthening products and packaging, employing novel consumer retention techniques, discouraging impulse buying, etc., manufacturers must also engage the logistics companies for developing a clear-cut framework of return logistics management. For one, make the process of return management easier for consumers. 

Once a consumer initiates for return, auto-ticketing should ensure immediate response and a hassle-free pickup. Two, long-haul return process including return delivery should, to the extent possible, be the exact opposite of the forward movement. Three, ‘Customer is the king’ and in cases of return, customer satisfaction is ensured with return delivery only. Primacy need to be accorded to consumer satisfaction for, a satisfied consumer is also a loyal consumer. Four, in case of online retail, adopting a fully-integrated ecommerce platform will reduce the hassles of return management to a great extent. 

This can be done by encouraging consumers to choose replacement in applicable situations. Five, determining, sorting and categorizing return products for further action like replacement, repair, resale, refurbish, recycle or scrap ward; in every probability, the salvage value once acted upon quickly could still be higher. And six, keep inventory from piling up in all the scenarios. Inventory stuck is a collateral damage.

Obviously, businesses resell, reuse and recycle returned products. In a study published earlier, Gartner Research indicated that nearly half of returned goods are resold at their full price. Furthermore, there is value in finding the best option for returned items like discount sale. Needless to say, effective reverse  logistics can keep down any storage and distribution costs. In practice, there are two models of reverse logistics is visible. Some businesses separate their forward and reverse logistics while others find value in combining them. The relative success of combined or dichotomized models however depends greatly on experience and volume of return goods. For both the cases though, time is of essence.

Consultancy in Post-Pandemic World

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic stuck, the world was witnessing a quiet churning. Sino-American trade war was brewing in the midst of other geo-political tensions in South and South East Asia. In the middle of all this, the Covid-19 pandemic stuck in China. 

A supply shock that started in China in January and the demand shock that followed as the global economy shut down as the pandemic spread to engulf increasingly other parts of the globe, businesses, of just about every nationality and hue, were exposed vulnerabilities in sourcing and production strategies.

China being the manufacturing hub of the world, it was bound to be. And businesses, of almost every nationality and hue already confronted with rising tide of nativism, will be forced to take into account a host of such factors once the pandemic subsides and markets open in normal course.

Indian businesses, especially MSMEs apart from these larger issues are confronted with the issue of being afloat. More than 25% of them have closed down since the Lockdown was imposed last year. Many of these companies, including logistics, are grappling with the issues of survival, keeping afloat, credit availability and shrinking orders. 

Mahesh Vyas, Director and Chief Executive, CMIE suggests, “MSMEs have suffered as they are unable to survive the severity of pandemic, the sudden and prolonged lockdown and the consequent shrinking of overall businesses. Large companies are not only better placed to ride out of storm but also gain by cannibalizing markets of the withering smaller companies.” Logistics & distribution players are no exceptions. In the days to come, we shall see ‘stake sale’, ‘acquisition’ and ‘take over’ all too often. Darwinism is in real.

This is where the services of a consultant become very important. When a logistics company may hit challenges which for one reason or the other, is simply beyond its ability to resolve with internal resources alone, and has to seek the services of specialists, consultants and consultancy services. 

A logistics consultancy is a specialised service that does a cost-benefit analysis of the operative model of a company, study its logistics operations, use data as a tool for comparative analysis, and by employing the best model of information technology at structural level, come out with an efficient solution. Apart from this, it studies the prevailing scenarios in the world as the one described above and suggest measures or models that could provide for the necessary wherewithal, like

•   Integrating decentralized & flexible sourcing units in the value chain of manufacturing     companies;
•   Become a dependable partner for manufacturers and traders;
•   Build an infrastructure in trucking and space that could sustain for medium to long-term;
•   Build warehouses in strategically important sourcing and industrial cities and connect     them for end-to- end logistics;
•   Invest in skilling and retention of manpower;
•   Inventory control measures and controlling spillover and
•  Adopting technologically flexible infrastructure.

Despite everything that could be happening in Indian logistics and supply chain and in the world, a logistics consultant would need to keep in mind that there would be pressure on logistics to be efficient. Highly competitive environment would ensure that there is no unpalatable cost escalation – consumers would keep looking for value for their money. Apart from this, no two sizes fits all. 

A logistics consultancy service would need to understand the premise or context of operation. For example, India is challenged by poor integration of distribution networks that could hinder end-to-end logistics, warehousing & distribution facilities. This is compounded by a lack of adequate awareness and appreciation for IT infrastructure and a counter-productive regulatory environment. 

Importantly, manufacturing, 3PL & distribution partners would be forced to innovate and move to decentralizing their facilities so that in exigencies, their other units are operational.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/nknqny/consultancy_in_postpandemic_world/ 

Logistics in Post-Pandemic India

 Modern businesses are built on the principle of specialization. Their finished products may often be consisted of critical components or sophisticated materials that require technological skills to make. For example, a car at the showroom floor is unthinkable without an AC, an   LCD panel or touch screen none of which is manufactured by the automotive company. Apart from these highly sophisticated products, other spares - from simple nuts-bolts to BSV1 compliant engine-parts- are sourced from SUPPLIERS specializing in their manufacturing. These suppliers could be spread in different parts of the country or even continents. Connecting the sourcing units to the manufacturer and the manufacturer to the end user is the important role the logistics & supply chain industry performs. Of late however, logistics industry is going through a phase of uncertainty. The supply shock that started in February last year in China was followed by a demand shock the world over as the global economy shut down, have exposed the sourcing units, manufacturing companies and the logistics, 3PL and supply chain partners to uncouth vulnerabilities.

In the years subsequent to economic depression in 2008-09, amidst widespread unemployment and rising inequality between rural poor and urban middle classes, populist regimes riding the nativist slogans came to power in many countries the world over. They centralized power to

·         Encourage domestic production to create employment

·         Imposed a tariff barrier (import substitution) making cross-border trade an expensive affair

Economic nationalism thus developed has resulted in a huge disequilibrium in demand and supply. Manufacturing companies, dependent as they are, on a variety of sourcing companies spread across the globe, will resort to procuring from domestic suppliers which often lack resources, and credit availability to scale up. This will escalate the product prices and at the same time quality could be questionable. Nonetheless, a vast consumer-base across nationalities, already exposed to the quality and efficiency of the products, would continue to look and demand the same. In the immediate to medium term, though, there would be pressure on the manufacturing to logistics companies to invest heavily in value-chain while being competitive at the same time. Easier said than done.

As we have seen since the late last year and what has come to be known as “Vaccine Nationalism,” a group of chemicals which are used for developing DNA and mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines and DNA-based drug therapies are sourced mainly from China and South Korea. Because of rising nativism, many vaccine producing countries and companies have become vulnerable. This has disrupted the vaccine manufacturing, and India which used to source raw materials to manufacture vaccine for the world, is faced with an unprecedented crisis.

With localized lockdowns in the face of epidemic and devastating second wave that is ravaging India has put Indian logistics firms and 3pl players in a perilous position. Manufacturing units kept the machines running and when the lockdowns announced, they were caught unawares flush with a lot of inventory. There is a scarcity in demand especially for discretionary items and warehouses are full to the brim with little possibility of normal operations anytime soon. Whatever the pent up demand created last year after lockdown was lifted would be harder to come by this time around. Obviously, when it rains it pours.

3PL and logistics partners would be required investing big to stay in the game. To start with,

·         End-to-end logistics and integration of value chain across spectrum. Logistics companies  have to invest further in hub-and-spoke concentrically operating, to connect sourcing/supplying units with manufacturing plants and then to the consumer across board

·         With self-reliance in manufacturing a theme, tertiary and secondary units will be encouraged to build themselves around larger manufacturing plants. They will have little capacity to hold the inventory and would require a 3PL partner. How quickly the 3PL and express distribution partners will invest in and around manufacturing belts and SEZ areas would be able to reap the benefits

·         Technological innovations and finding a right balance between human force and automation would be another key element for 3PL & express distribution companies

·         Uncover and address hidden risks in operations and invest in creating human capital up for such exigencies in future.

Importantly, manufacturing, 3PL & distribution partners would be forced to innovate and move to decentralizing their facilities so that in exigencies, their other units are operational.

 

Source: https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/nhjth5/logistics_in_postpandemic_india/

 

Challenges Faced by The Healthcare Logistics Service

 

Healthcarehas become one of the leading and largest sectors both in terms of revenue and employment in India. With the healthcare market in India expected to reach US$ 372 billion by 2022, healthcare logistics is a long way from being able to handle the increased demand for proper storage, transportation, traceability, and much more. Any pharma logistics company needs to implement traceable, secure, and compliant supply chains with end-to-end visibility.

 

Now, logistics accounts for a sizeable portion of healthcare operations budget. But a few challenges faced by healthcare logistics service are:

 

·         Lack of modern technology to forecast demand and supply

 

The healthcare industry is still dependent on traditional statistical methods and outdated technology to forecast demand using relevant data and customer insights, which leads to inefficient supply chain management. Incorporating the use of smart technologies and tools in planning the optimal supply chain is the need of the hour. This would ensure sufficient resources in hand to meet urgent or last-minute demands.

 

·         Changing regulatory frameworks

 

The quality compliance, regulatory policies, and export formalities are different across markets and are headed by different authorities, leading to a lack of standardization globally. For dealing with such challenges, there should be specific governing bodies that not only keep a stringent check on quality, but also maintain complete clarity and transparency across manufacturing, packaging practices, and transportation.

 

·         Need for improved supply chain infrastructure

 

The healthcare sector in India has to handle challenges like poor road conditions, ill-equipped seaports and railways, and not fully utilized air transport. Particularly in pharma, the lack of a robust cold chain network has widened the gap in the healthcare supply chain. The current infrastructure makes product visibility and tracking difficult, and companies are not able to get the complete details and assurance on whether the products are stored or transported in required conditions or not.     

 

·         Lack of transparency and visibility

 

The supply chain in healthcare is complex and time-sensitive, as it involves proper measures to be maintained along the entire supply chain process. Any deviation from the measures would cause a threat to the life of patients. But, with multiple stakeholders involved in the supply chain, the visibility and traceability of the cargo becomes difficult to maintain, leading to the loss of cargo or the cargo no longer remains usable. With the help of the latest technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and IoT, maintaining communication and transparency is possible along  the entire supply chain. It will also prevent the distribution of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in the market.

India’s pharmaceutical industry is the third-largest in the world in terms of volume and value chain. Safexpress, a leading tech-based logistics service provider, with its multimodal network across India, specializes in express distribution services of medicines and healthcare equipmentthat are time and weather-sensitive. Safexpress is driven by tech-enabled operations that channelize tracking of all shipments to maintain transparency of movement of the cargo across the supply chain. They also provide logistics to deliver samples to medical representatives across India as per the medical representative’s time and convenience.

In Conclusion

The healthcare supply chain is complex and involves various stakeholders in the entire process. A well-run healthcare logistics service would ensure proper communication,so that all supply chain partners and goods reach their point of use in working order and on time. With the healthcare supply chain as one of the biggest areas for savings opportunities, logistics service in this field would require the use of modern technology to enhance the supply network.

 

Source: https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/mukv8f/challenges_faced_by_the_healthcare_logistics/

Logistics Consultancy Service in India

William S. Burroughs is credited with the quote, “When you stop growing you start dying.” Lou Holz seconded the same when he said, “In this world you’re either growing or you’re dying. So get in motion and grow.” In simpler terms, it means that in a dynamic world, dynamic because it is changing as I write this, there is simply no status quo. You are either moving forward or losing ground. This is true for every organism and even more so for modern organizations. Seen thus, these statements are more of prophecies.

Modern organizations do not necessarily be driven by a profit motive to meet to the challenges of changing times and technology but they scale up by equipping with technological know-how of the time, facilitating a dynamic workplace, expanding to new areas of production and services and have the foresight to evolve with the changing times. Predictably, there comes a time when a company may hit challenges which for one reason or the other, is simply beyond its ability to resolve with internal resources alone. 

In the realm of logistics, logistics services and express distribution, especially in the last two decades, we have witnessed that many a companies have shut operations precisely because they were faced with the challenges which they could not meet economically with internal resources alone. This is where the need for expert consultants and consultancy services can play a defining role.

A logistics consultancy company is a specialised service that does a cost-benefit analysis of the operative model of a company, study its logistics operations, use data as a tool for comparative analysis, and by employing the best model of information technology at structural level, come out with an efficient solution. A logistics consultant mostly operates around the following themes;

· Understanding overall economic scenario & forecasting growth strategy by predictive analysis in medium/long-term

· Addressing rising demand & overcoming capacity constraints in evolving economic scenario

· Suggest a more efficient model of logistics & distribution

· Embrace latest digital technologies and automation

· Aligning logistics & distribution practices with strategic goals of the company

A logistics consultancy service, however, must understand the premise or context of operation. For example, India is challenged by poor integration of distribution networks that could facilitate end-to-end logistics, warehousing & distribution facilities. This is compounded by a lack of adequate investment in IT infrastructure, and a counter-productive regulatory environment. 

There has been a general perception that logistics and express distribution service is a labour intensive industry which has resulted in the lack of adequate and meaningful investment in training & skill management, and client service personnel. Overall result is that logistics cost and spillage is very high.

These challenges, however, have been addressed both at the level of policy and academics in recent years. The Government of India, in 1917, in order to encourage low-cost investment and liberalise external borrowings, has allocated “Infrastructure Status” to logistics and transport field. Almost on cue, on Global Logistics Performance Index, India rose from 54^th place in 2016 to 34^th in 2018. While presenting Union Budget 2020-21, the incumbent Finance Minister announced adoption of a National Logistics Policy. Logistics practitioners and academic institutions have started a slew of under-graduate courses and training programs. 

There is a growing urgency now to prioritize research and development so that the weaknesses in the industry can be taken care of and improved. There is a welcome initiative of collaborations between industry & academia in recent years that looks to facilitate transition of learners to skilled manpower for industry.

Recent collaboration between Government, Industry and Academia is a tie up between the Skill Development Corporation of India and Safeducate, the Learning Arm of Safexpress Pvt. Ltd. In the flagship program, Safeducate imparts skill based training in Logistics & Express Distribution Service and address the skilled manpower deficit in the industry by finding suitable employment for them. 

Very recently, Safeducate has come out with “Seekho,” app which offers online education service to aspirants. Though conceptualized as an internal training & skill development arm of Safexpress, Safeducate has expanded in scope and is now playing a pivotal role in skilling and manpower consultancy service for the industry. With SDCI and Seekho App, even though nascent, is some journey.

Source:- https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/mcuox3/logistics_consultancy_service_in_india

Importance of supply chain consulting in India

In the era of fierce competition, escalating costs, pandemic aftermath, and reduced efficiency, it is critical for businesses to remain on top of their game from manufacturing till the final delivery to ensure supply is well- synchronized with any change in demand across their supply chain in a timely, yet efficient manner. 

Owing to the dynamic nature of the Indian economy & the industry, it becomes extremely difficult for the companies to concentrate on production, product-design, targeting, segmentation & promotion and at the same time, also maintain harmony in the distribution of their product lines. 

  

Businesses and product-based enterprises face supply chain challenges and need apt solutions and consultancy for overcoming the logistics and supply chain bottlenecks. An efficient Logistics and supply chain model plays a pivotal role for the success of any company by channelizing its products and making them available to the customers, at the right place and at right time at a cost, & reduces its overall logistics costs. 

Logistics costs include not just transportation costs which contribute as one of the component but also include warehousing costs, inventory costs, handling costs, insurance costs and many more. To build an efficient logistics and supply chain model, it requires careful and deep analysis of the historic data, vision of the company and also needs consideration of the company’s philosophy and understanding of supply chain’s deliverable. 

  

To overcome supply chain hassles, MNCs and even small businesses that are moving to an e-commerce model, are now looking to outsource supply chain consulting and solutions ranging from order procurement to warehousing, inventory management & finally dispatch of orders to their distribution channels, to an expert & reliable logistics service provider in order to meet their customers’ demand across their supply chain, & yet have complete control on their distribution time lines and costs.  

   

India has a multitude of cultures, geographies, and climate. The Indian logistics industry is constantly impacted by external operating environment including infrastructure, roads, geographies, fuel, freight, transportation costs, GST compliance etc., which continue to change and pose challenges to the smooth operations & drive-up logistics costs every now and then.  

  

Amid the roadblocks and such complexities, taking professional support from a supply chain consultant can play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the organization, help in reducing costs and hence, making the organization more competitive in the industry. Safexpress, one of the fastest and largest logistics and supply chain management companies in India has been in the industry for more than two decades and is constantly engaged in overcoming all logistics bottlenecks with its teams of proficient consultants across the country. 

  

Safexpress has a combination of comprehensive knowledge of best practices and more than 24 years of experience across multiple verticals with insightful knowledge of diverse localities and geographies of India that enables it to provide best quality service and logistics assistance to the businesses. 

Safexpress offers specialized consulting services tailored to the needs of customers that are targeted to strengthen the end-to-end logistics performance of their supply chains, meeting the supply chain deliverable of ‘time to market’ by offering time-definite, door-to-door express distribution services, lowering their overall costs and enhancing their overall experience.  

  

It also provides a spectrum of supply chain solutions specially catered for B2B, B2C and C2C businesses and customers with a presence and reach to all 31085 pin codes of India. It facilitates the delivery operations through its established infrastructure and network strengths that includes 61 state-of-the-art logistics parks, 650 gateways and more than 7500 GPS-enabled and containerized vehicles in a time-definite and quality-conscious manner. 

Safexpress operates on its regular, direct 1854 routes where a route departs every 46th second & the entire network is functional 24 x 7 x 365 days to ensure fastest deliveries with shortest transit times & provide highest levels of Service Level Efficiencies of more than 95% over the years. It has been a continuous endeavour of Safexpress to keep upgrading its network and strengths for providing value-added and highest quality services to its customers. 

  

To ensure seamless visibility of the real-time information across the involved entities in a supply chain, Safexpress is driven by tech-enabled operations that channelize tracking of all waybills from pick-up till delivery. This creates an integrated flow of information across the supply chains that is extremely critical to make supply chains more responsive, leaner and increasingly efficient to meet the real demand. This has a direct impact on lowering the overall costs of logistics and providing a competitive edge in the market to the companies. 

  

The ideal goal of a resilient supply chain consulting is to minimize the negative impacts of the challenges and disruptions on revenues, costs and customers and maximize the profitability, product value, brand equity and customer base. 

  

Supply Chain Management has become a dire need for companies who want to make a mark in the industry. Established and well-known supply chain consultants like Safexpress can help enterprises create and manage high-performing, resilient supply chains that drive sustained, profitable growth, even in the face of sudden, dramatic change without causing any drastic fiscal impact. 

 

Source : https://www.reddit.com/user/safexpress1/comments/m8a9hz/importance_of_supply_chain_consulting_in_india/