MUMBAI: A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk), a global integrator of logistics, today announced a significant milestone under its ‘Equal At Sea’ initiative in India. With 45% of the Nautical and Engineering cadets onboarded in 2024 being women, the company has inched closer to its 2027 target of equal gender representation amongst its cadet intake.

Accelerating progress towards gender equality in the Indian maritime sector

Launched in 2022, the ‘Equal At Sea’ initiative enters its third year with remarkable success in India. The program’s primary objective is to achieve gender equality among Maersk seafarers, address the historical underrepresentation of women amongst seafarers, and create an ecosystem for the entire Indian maritime sector to improve gender diversity. The program brings different stakeholders across the industry on a common platform, which serves as a hub for exchanging ideas, understanding industry challenges, learning from each other, and implementing best practices. 

His Excellency Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark to India, said, “The seas know no gender. By championing diversity in maritime careers, Maersk is not only steering toward equality but also charting a course for innovation and growth in the shipping industry. Denmark and India, as maritime nations, must lead this tide of change.” He added, “This industry-wide effort to create more opportunities for women in maritime careers will undoubtedly strengthen our global shipping community and drive progress and sustainability in the years to come.“

Karan Kochhar, Head of Marine People, Asia, Maersk, said, “Our continuous efforts and immense support from the industry has started realizing the future of creating an equitable environment at sea for women to thrive in. Through our initiatives, we have successfully inspired more women in India to choose seafaring as a career.” He added, “Getting to 45% has been a great team effort within Maersk and across the industry. Now is the time to keep the momentum up and strive to ensure that the women recruited are also retained in the fleet.“

The ‘Equal At Sea’ conference, held today in Mumbai, brought together maritime industry leaders to discuss gender diversity and inclusion. His Excellency Freddy Svane, Danish Ambassador to India, joined the event. The conference comprised three key segments: ‘Sustainable Equality: Going Beyond the ON-Boarding,’ which explored workplace culture and harassment through an interactive discussion; ‘Sea-side Chat – Not All Ceilings Are Made of Glass,’ celebrating pioneering women in male-dominated fields; and an in-depth discussion on the topic ‘All Women on Board: Myth or Reality?’ Additional highlights included a session by the Women in Maritime Association (WIMA) and the announcement of the Equal At Sea challenge winner. The event concluded with a progress report on Maersk’s diversity initiatives, underscoring the company’s commitment to fostering an inclusive maritime industry.

Key Achievements and Milestones in India

1. Indian women seafarers: With recent cadet inductions, the number of Indian women seafarers has surpassed the 350 mark, from a mere 41 in 2021, contributing significantly to improving the diversity within Maersk’s seafarers population in India.
2. Progress in the Nautical and Engineering streams: The overall percentage of women cadets in this year’s intake has gone up to 45%, and the Nautical division has already crossed 50%.
3. Women Rating Programme: Launched in 2023 as a sub-program of ‘Equal At Sea’, the initiative began with 22 women trainees in India. Building on its success, Maersk added two subsequent additional batches and now has a total of 70 women ratings undergoing training.

The success of the ‘Equal At Sea’ initiative in India has also contributed significantly to Maersk’s global progress in improving gender diversity. The number of women seafarers in the Maersk fleet has more than doubled, from 295 in 2021 to over 650 and counting in 2024. The percentage of women in Maersk’s global seafarer pool has risen from 2.3% in 2022 to 5.5% in 2024.

As Maersk celebrates its successful journey of improving gender diversity goals amongst seafarers in India, the company remains committed to fostering an inclusive environment and continuing to break barriers in the maritime industry. Maersk aims to carry this momentum forward from cadet onboarding to recruitment and create an environment that allows women to thrive in this traditionally male-dominated sector.

Maersk initiated conversations about the underrepresentation of women at sea and organized an event called “Equal at Sea: Turning the tide with women onboard” in India in 2022. The purpose of this event was to empower women in the maritime industry through mutual support and mentorship and increase the representation of women in various corporate roles within the sector. The event brought together policymakers, industry experts, and courageous women who have defied stereotypes to pursue careers at sea. Know more at www.maersk.com/equal-at-sea. 

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MUMBAI: iThink Logistics, Mumbai-based integrated logistics and supply chain solutions, is proud to announce a spectacular close to the financial year 2023–24, having achieved an impressive revenue of INR 104 crore. A substantial portion of this revenue, 94.7%, was generated from the domestic market, underscoring the company’s strong presence across India, particularly in the western region which emerged as the largest contributor.

As iThink Logistics continues to enhance its international presence, it has set ambitious targets for the upcoming financial year. Building on its established global operations, the company is poised to pursue an 8X growth in its international cross-border revenue, aiming to increase it from 4 crore to 30 crore. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to deepen and expand its cross-border logistics capabilities.

“Over the last year, we’ve continually pushed our boundaries to achieve remarkable growth, and we intend to carry this momentum forward,” said Zaiba Sarang, Co-founder of iThink Logistics. “As we look to the 2024–25 financial year, our focus is on creating a shipping ecosystem that can create waves not only in India but abroad. We are dedicated to delivering precision, ease, and a vast network, setting new benchmarks in the logistics industry worldwide. Partnering with logistics titans like FedEx and Indian digital commerce pioneers like ONDC enhances our capabilities and positions us uniquely in the global market.“

iThink Logistics is well-known for its customer-centric approach and utilizes advanced technology, including AI-driven tools and a multifunctional dashboard, to provide top-tier logistics services. These technologies have been critical in enhancing operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction, ensuring that iThink Logistics remains one of the preferred names in the industry. Notably, the company’s innovative offerings like Connect+ and the proprietary WISMO (Where Is My Order) technology enhance the client experience by enabling seamless integration of order tracking with communication channels such as email, SMS, and WhatsApp. Additionally, iThink Logistics meets the modern consumer’s demand for speed and reliability with its Same Day and Next Day Delivery options, providing an offline experience in an online world and ensuring that customers receive their orders when they need them, which is crucial in maintaining customer loyalty and reducing cart abandonment.

With a focus on scaling up international operations and continuing to excel in all segments of logistics services, iThink Logistics is committed to delivering superior service quality and building stronger partnerships worldwide. Looking ahead, the company is ambitiously forecasting a leap in overall revenue to INR 200 crore for the financial year 2024-25, signifying its confidence in its strategic expansion plans and operational excellence.

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INDIA: French contract logistics provider, FM Logistic, inaugurated its first Control Tower (CT) facility at a grand event in Pune on Tuesday. The Control Tower is part of FM’s strategy to enhance its 4PL and LLP offering, The occasion was graced by Jean-Christophe Machet, CEO of FM Logistic,  Stéphane Descarpentries, Managing Director, Asia, and Strategic Projects, Alexandre Amine Soufiani, Managing Director, FM Logistic Singapore and Ajit Jangle, Managing Director, FM Logistic India. 

In India, FM Logistics is among the top contract logistics companies that offer this technology-driven supply chain service that will enable its customers to significantly optimize their logistics cost through FM’s gain share mechanism. Through this new offering, FM Logistics will provide its customers all across the country with centralized transportation control tower services that offer end-to-end visibility. 

Backed by a dedicated team of experts, the control tower offers:

• An array of transportation services ranging from order management, network design, transport simulation, and vehicle management to track-and-trace services
• Complete process automation to reduce duplicated efforts & utilize optimized resources
• The CT Integrated Logistics Platform enables EDI / API integration with the customer’s ERP as well as track & trace systems to ensure seamless data transfer and 100% visibility 
• Real-time performance reporting through Business Intelligence dashboards
• In the case of an exigency, predictive analysis is a key feature of the CT solution that aids in decision-making

About this achievement, Jean-Christophe Machet said, “At FM Logistic, we are always willing to adapt to the current market demands. The COVID-19 pandemic has confirmed that it is critical for supply chains to cater to the ever-changing needs of the business. Our new control tower solution in India reaffirms our commitment to helping our customers meet their growing business needs efficiently, by offering mutualized solutions enabling more sustainable and economical supply chains” 

FM Logistic India’s newly appointed Managing Director, Ajit Jangle, added, “It gives me immense pleasure to inaugurate our new Control Tower facility. We continue to strengthen our leading position in India through this sophisticated digital solution. This new offering provides consolidation, optimization, and efficiency – all the prerequisites for a robust supply chain. In today’s volatile business environment, it is imperative to build and maintain robust and resilient supply chains. Through this new service, we are certain that we ensure the future readiness of our customers’ supply chains and in turn, delight them. By means of this technology-driven solution, we will efficiently enable our customers to expand their business horizons.” 

India’s logistics sector is expected to grow from a $200 billion market in 2020 to $320 billion by 2025. Backed by the Indian government to further strengthen supply chains with the introduction of the National Logistics Policy in September 2022, India continues to draw attention as a major logistics hub in Asia. To keep its leading hub status, Indian supply chains need to be customer-centric requiring greater use of digital technologies. In the quest for visibility and greater customer centricity, more companies have implemented or are considering rolling out a supply chain control tower. 

FM Logistic India’s control tower has been set up at its headquarters in Pune. A dedicated team of around 100 experts is responsible to oversee the functioning of this revolutionary business solution. 

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INDIA: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. (MLL) – one of India’s largest integrated logistics solutions providers and Ascendas-Firstspace – an industrial real estate developer announces, the setting up of a new one million square feet of multi-client warehouse park in Talegaon, Pune. With comprehensive connectivity, the entire development will be spread over three phases with the first phase of 0.5 million sq ft scheduled to be operational by the end of 2023-24.

The Ascendas-Firstspace Pune Talegaon-II logistics park is spread over 40 acres. This is the second project in the micro-market of Ascendas-Firstspace, a joint venture between CapitaLand Investment and Firstspace Realty. It is part of the Chakan Talegaon Industrial Corridor (CTIC), which is one of the most important manufacturing clusters in India. The area has been a traditional manufacturing base for large auto, engineering, and electronics companies. The CTIC corridor is currently witnessing significant growth on account of the success of the Make in India program.

For Mahindra Logistics, this will be an important part of MLL’s pan-India network of multi-user facilities, in a strategic industrial cluster. In addition to an A-grade warehousing capacity of one million square feet, the facility will also host MLL’s first Automation Technology Centre that focuses on the development and deployment of automation technologies on Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics & Automation, ARVR, AGVs, and Block-Chain.

Mahindra Logistics’ modern A-Grade warehouse, located within Chakan Talegaon Industrial Corridor (CTIC), will be designed with the Company’s sustainability standards. It will be developed with a focus on recycled construction material, liquid discharge management, renewable energy waste management, and state-of-the-art automation. MLL’s commitment to sustainability ensures the Company, actively invests in making warehousing facilities energy efficient and exceptionally sustainable with a goal of achieving leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for all our multi-client large format warehouses. The facility will be IGBC Gold/Platinum certified with 100% on-site solar-powered renewable power.

Mr. Rampraveen Swaminathan, Managing Director & CEO, of Mahindra Logistics, said, “The Chakan region is one of India’s leading industrial & consumption clusters. The region is the largest area for Mahindra Logistics, and we are pleased to announce this investment in partnership with Ascendas-Firstpace. The one million SFT facility will allow us to further expand our range of Integrated solutions for key customers in the area, and provide world-class, technology-enabled solutions. The site will also host our first Automation Technology Centre and focus on DEIA talent development. Designed to be an IGBC/LEED certified facility per our vision to carbon neutral by 2040.”

Mr. Aloke Bhuniya, CEO of, Ascendas-Firstspace said, “We are very happy that Mahindra Logistics Limited has chosen to work in our logistics park, which is one of the largest multi-user facilities we have in the area. We welcome Mahindra Logistics with great enthusiasm and look forward to expanding our partnership to other projects across India. This partnership is a testament to the enduring legacy of trust and quality development that CapitaLand Investment and Ascendas-Firstspace have established throughout the years. We remain committed to being a strong partner to our clients and constructing a robust network of logistic and industrial parks in the key strategic logistics nodes and manufacturing clusters all across India.“

Mr. Sanjay Bajaj, MD, Logistics & Industrial, India in JLL said, “We are proud to be the transaction advisors for this unique project. This is a testimony of India’s logistics growth story. Outsourcing of logistics activities is a major trend with 43% of all transactions in the 3PL sector in 2022”.

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In India, the demand for cold chain logistics has been increasing year-on-year and is expected to grow at over 20% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2025.[1] FedEx will be displaying a wide range of effective healthcare packaging and specialized tracking technology at the event, to cater to the increasing need for robust cold chain logistics. For the first time in India, the latest FedEx proprietary technology SenseAware SM M4 will be exhibited. SenseAwareSM advanced monitoring uses a multi-sensor device that collects real-time data for critical shipments from the moment they are packed and picked up to the time they are delivered. The latest SenseAware SM M4 device is the most versatile SenseAware SM device to date. The device has an array of sensors, a FedEx proprietary airplane mode, and the ability to operate inside and outside of FedEx transportation networks.

Healthcare shipments require strict temperature control and reliable transit times. FedEx has various types of packaging solutions to insulate healthcare shipments and ensure they’re delivered at the right temperature – several of which will be displayed at booth no. 28 – including Medpack Thermo 13, Medpack Frozen 10, Ambient Shipper box, and a new packaging solution Nanocool. Nanocool is easy to use, doesn’t require pre-conditioning, and can be ready with a push of a button. It comes in various sizes and keeps the shipment temperature constant at 2–8°C, for up to 96 hours.

“Healthcare providers need specialized shipping services that seamlessly support integrity, quality, precision, and control,” explained Suvendu Choudhury, Vice President, Operations-India, FedEx Express. “FedEx delivers time and temperature-sensitive healthcare packages every day through its flexible global network. We have long invested in a robust healthcare supply chain, cold chain capabilities, and decades-long expertise to meet customer needs in the healthcare market, building more than 90 cold chain facilities across five continents.”

FedEx provides door-to-door delivery within India to over 6,000 postal codes for time-critical and temperature-controlled healthcare shipments, which includes express delivery up to 24 to 48 hours in metros such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad.[2] Customers can opt for FedEx Priority Alert Plus for their time-sensitive shipments to be monitored, and if a delivery delay occurs, customers receive individual guidance. This service includes additional options such as dry-ice replenishment, gel-pack exchange, and cold storage. Currently, FedEx Priority Alert is available in more than 70 countries or regions, including India.

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