Plan, procure, execute, & track transportation for every shipment across your supply chain & logistics operations
Increase vehicle capacity utilization and customer promise adherence
Grow your business with omnichannel presence and automated pickups
Consolidate shipments for hub to hub movement across land and air
Real-time customer communications and collect accurate PODs
Orchestrate logistics operations with multiple 3rd party carriers
Achieve cost effective, scalable, sustainable, and customer centric deliveries
Orchestrate all your cross-border logistics operations with ease
Improve address accuracy, ensure first-attempt delivery success, reduce costs and boost customer experience
Gain end-to-end shipment visibility, get proactive alerts, and send customers live tracking links
Grow business in a dynamic world and manage operations across First, Middle & Last mile
Delight customers by seamlessly managing store and online orders across own fleet and 3rd party
Reduce freight costs & get end to end visibility across shipments
India attained ‘Purna Swaraj’, which is translated as ‘complete, sovereign independence’ 75 years ago. Looking ahead, all eyes are set on making the next 25 years remarkable thus resulting in a glorious centenary of the modern independent India.
The Indian Government, taking cognizance of this, has commenced working on a blueprint for India@2047 to make India a developed nation. From a trade and logistics perspective, this aim will be fulfilled when India becomes a consistent net exporter. To achieve the vision, Ministry of Commerce & Industry aims to increase its share of exports to 25% of its GDP by 2047. India’s share of exports in global trade stands at 2.1% today, and is projected to touch 3% by 2027.
An official says that the roadmap for 2047 includes positioning India as a high-value and high-growth products supplier, enhancing the participation of MSMEs in trade, and attaining a 10% share in niche products called “creative economy”.
This journey could be anything but easy, as many challenges loom large on Indian businesses engaged in global trade. According to a recent survey of over 700 respondents comprising exporters, importers, CHAs, freight forwarders, and trade associations across India, it was found that the most common problems across ports are port congestion, customs clearance (scanning and approvals), shipping line issues & charges, documentation & paperwork, and regulatory clearance.
That’s not all. There are many other everyday issues that need to be resolved. On top of almost every Indian exporter’s mind, especially those in the Small & Medium Enterprise segment, would be
In its bid to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of India’s logistics sector, the Indian Government’s National Logistics Policy (NLP) can help address some of these challenges. Improved connectivity and infrastructure can significantly help Indian exporters to reduce logistics costs thus enhancing India’s competitiveness in the global trade market and boosting economic growth. Another key aspect of NLP is to leverage advanced technology and innovation in logistics.
Technology can solve many of the aforementioned challenges – from improving tracking and visibility to streamlining processes and enhancing customer service. This unlocks opportunities for growth and success for small businesses in the export industry. Industry players such as manufacturing units, e-commerce companies, global distribution agencies, freight forwarders, and logistics service providers are starting to increasingly leverage online freight management software platforms to realize cost savings and improved productivity.
To substantiate what I mean, let’s consider a real case example. A prominent Indian retailer’s exports division was battling rising freight costs, suboptimal collaboration with freight forwarders, poor system interoperability & data accuracy, and manual shipment operations, which led to higher delivery TATs. The retailer deployed a cloud-based international logistics management platform. Before deploying the software, they managed their freight rate contracts using spreadsheets and negotiating with each shipping line & freight forwarder via multiple phone calls and back-and-forth emails.
Within a few months, the division benefited from the automation of processes and workflows and realized 65% person-hours savings gaining back previously-wasted personnel productivity. Today, these resources also perform other crucial tasks delivering greater value to the business. At the same time, automated freight procurement delivered immediate cost savings in the form of competitive, lower freight rates. All of this resulted in a 5 day faster plan-to-ship time and a 10% reduction in overall logistics costs.
Such a platform usually features the following capabilities.
In conclusion, as Indian SMB exporters face difficulty in finding reliable and cost-effective freight partners and struggle with inefficient tracking and limited visibility into the status of their shipments, adopting the latest technological solutions can help them overcome these challenges and unlock opportunities for growth and success. From improving efficiency and cost savings to enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing risks, it is important for SMBs to consider the benefits that technology can bring to their export operations in order to stay ahead of the curve and meet the evolving needs of their global customers.
Sources:
“https://www.businessworld.in/article/India-Aims-For-3-Share-In-Global-Exports-By-2027/25-10-2022-451643/”
“https://youtu.be/Dqxez1jhZss”
Automating logistics operations ensure businesses that the timelines are not breached, business bottom lines are not hurt, and every logistics component works in a synchronous manner.
The Indian logistics market is expected to reach a whopping $380 billion by 2025. Explore how to choose a smart freight management software in India that can help you unlock the best opportunities.