Yes, India is indeed a very big country, almost like a continent but its not very difficult to manage. We have a very strong and experienced team pan-India, led by the Area General Managers and Branch Managers who all play a very significant role in their respective territories.
True, India is playing a key role in the global economy and is still growing faster than most economies at a rate of 7 - 7 .5%. India has always been a key market for DACHSER and we have a robust network of 25 offices across the country. Our focus has always been on quality and this has helped us grow consistently over the years. With GST on the anvil and various initiatives from the present government like “Ease of doing business”, “Make in India” and many more initiatives, the economy is likely to grow consistently in the coming years.
India has a very wide range of Industries like Automotive, Industrial and Engineering, Retail, Life sciences to name a few which form the major growth drivers.
Yes, Infrastructure is a major focus area and we are expecting a good growth with more air ports, Sea ports, rail network and better roads on the anvil. Investments in infrastructure have already begun and we expect the real benefits over the next 5 -10 years.
The planned transshipment hub in Enayam is being planned as a transshipment port competing with Colombo and will definitely be a ‘feather in the cap’ for the shipping industry once ready. It has been chosen for the natural depth of 20m that makes it viable for the large ships to operate smoothly. Efficiency at the ports in India has improved significantly but we still have some catching up to do with top ports like Singapore, Shenzhen and Shanghai.
Air and sea terminals in India have improved dramatically in recent times but the pressure is still high on major sea ports like Chennai & Nhava Sheva where volumes handled are quite high. On the air side, we see Delhi and Mumbai being overloaded but we expect this to ease in the coming years as major investments are already underway for new airports and seaports. The Regional Connectivity scheme in the New Civil Aviation Policy is also directed towards building new airports so domestic airfreight for cargo is also likely to make a strong comeback.
Corporate Social Responsibility is a very crucial aspect and DACHSER India views this with great seriousness and commitment. We are glad to participate in the DACHSER CSR programs and do our ‘bit’ to contribute to the society. The outcome of these projects have shown promising results and are focused towards long term advantages and sustainability which makes it even more challenging and interesting too.
My advice to European companies would be to understand the logistics infrastructure and environment in India and then plan their logistical solutions, this is certainly ‘no big deal’ as many European companies are already doing great business in India for many years and have found very competitive solutions for their logistical needs. I very often come across European customers who are working out of India and they already have a very good understanding on the logistical challenges and are able to overcome them very successfully.
Well, DACHSER India is very strategically placed and we expect to grow steadily. Contract Logistics is an area where we would like to ‘focus on’ in the medium term and we would very much focus on growing our air and sea business leveraging from the strong global network of DACHSER.
Huned Gandhi has more than 20 years of experience in logistics. He is a Masters in Commerce and a Post Graduate Diploma in Foreign Trade from the Pune University and has also completed an EMBA in Supply Chain Management from NMIMS Mumbai in 2005.
He began his career with the Cargo Division in AFL, now DACHSER India in 1996 as a trainee in sales, rising up to the ranks of Branch Manager in Pune and General Manager for Western India in 2007. In addition, he also took over the position of Trade Lane Manager positions for Japan and Korea and Europe between 2008 and 2011. He moved to Malaysia in 2012 for setting up DACHSER in Malaysia where he was based for 2 years. In 2014, he moved back to India taking over as the Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics India at DACHSER.
Huned has a keen interest in sports, travel and music. He also loves reading management books and business magazines.
