| | APRIL 202319Companies are increasing the use of automation and robotics, as the manpower is getting expensive and things are getting repetitive in nature across supply chains and workforcewhether that is customs, transactions, invoices or any paperwork, EDI streamlined the process. Additionally, it led to increased velocity of the logistics industry. Imagine the paperwork involved in receiving a package from a different country. While lot of authorities are involved, besides multiple steps to this process, EDI has got many applications and it is making the world of shipping and freight go online. This is possible with an EDI format that allows customers to interact with service provider in an electronic or digital form directly. Moreover, a variety of tools have been built in and it takes care of the data. These tools also work on eliminating quite a large chunk of errors. Besides EDI, there is a mix of IoT and Artificial Intelligence technology and they call for training requirements when dealing with large workforce and supply chains. The trainers should be trained properly to become well-versed in these new programs. Today, companies have gone ahead and deployed AI and are even coming up with training programs that have been designed at a self-paced level. Lastly, is the Transport Management System (TMS) and this complements EDI. From what I have come across, leading consultancy firms happen to have 10-15 stack of various technologies and these companies were from the transportation and logistics vertical. Digital tools in the logistics industry are complex and it comes as no surprise that companies in this vertical have the most forward-looking new tech packs to tackle a humongous amount of data flow and operations. How do you perceive the Latest Budget in contributing to the Indian Logistics Industry to be on a competitive edge on the Global Market?NLP, national justice policy and PM Gathi Shakti, these programs got a boost this budget. It's likely that you will see close to about 100 critical transport infrastructure projects, which were either ports, coal, steel, fertilizer related ones, were approved. This is an investment of Rs.75,000 crores. There was a time when logistics not recognized as an industry. We can also see that the government has allocated close to Rs.2.7 lakh crores to the Ministry of Road and Transport. Everyday, we see developmental work happening on those infrastructures like roads and highways, particularly the Delhi-Mumbai corridor. Another great move by the government in the Budget was the Digilocker service from my personal experience, the IT is super convenient in storing your car documents, driving licence, PAN id, Aadhaar card and many more, while promising secure online storage and safe sharing of documents. It comes handy in the logistics field as there is a ton of paperwork involved and sometimes physical documents are lost. Then, the mention of 5G in the Budget piqued my curiosity as well, when it said that labs will be set up for 5G-enabled application development for intelligent transport system. Hence, right from the intent to the actions that the government has been taking, I see a positive move towards ensuring that India becomes extremely competitive and infrastructure plays the core part of it. Most importantly, the logistics industry should focus more on sustainability to reduce its environmental impact. Besides, customers and regulators are demanding more sustainable practices as well. This will result in the adoption of green, alternative fuels at least for the transport that is road-borne.What are the kinds of impacts delivered through green initiatives in the industry so Far?There is a major thrust for EVs in the industry, which are being introduced in their warehouse premises for internal transportations. Also, the industry as a whole is trying to incorporate solar-enabled solutions but LOGISTICS INDUSTRY REINVENTS THE OLD TRENDS WITH NEW INNOVATIONS
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