Vikram Paul

Regional Managing Director
Cargo Partner Logistics India

In a candid conversation with Economic Times Global Logistics Show team, Mr.Vikram Paul who is currently the Managing Director Indian Subcontinent of Cargo Partner shares the key factors that set cargo-partner apart from the competition in the industry and How cargo-partner is delivering excellent service in warehousing and managing complex transports through a variety of transport routes.

Mr. Vikram Paul has a strong background in freight forwarding and contract logistics, with 25 years of experience working for top-ranking logistics companies both in India and overseas. He is a great mix of leadership qualities, assertiveness and distinct devotion to customer care will surely prove to be a great asset to our organization. After completing his graduation from the Kolkata University in India, Mr. Vikram has held increasingly responsible positions in freight forwarding. Now aged 47, he has just become part of our Global/Regional Leadership Team and is looking forward to this chance to leverage his extensive experience. His passion for excellence and thorough knowledge of international markets will complement our business in the Indian Subcontinent and help us in our continued pursuit to deliver the highest quality services to all customers of our global cargo-partner network.

What are the key factors that set cargo-partner apart from the competition in the industry?
cargo-partner has been an integral part of the international transport industry for more than three decades. The past 30 years were probably the most dynamic mankind has ever experienced. In these changing conditions, we managed to prosper and turn our family-owned, Austria-based company into a global all-round logistics provider by remaining flexible to grow with industry trends and staying true to our corporate values:
we take it personally,
serving our clients better than others
with passion for excellence!

Our range of services has greatly expanded due to the interconnectivity of our global information society. We are no longer just mediating between carriers and consignees, but handling the information flows of entire supply chains. In this context, the implementation of our own cutting-edge IT systems significantly sets us apart from our competition. One example is our Supply Chain Management Platform SPOT which supports the increasingly complex structures of modern supply chains. The platform currently has more than 20,000 users from different industries. More information: www.spotworx.com.

How is cargo-partner delivering excellent service in warehousing and managing complex transports through a variety of transport routes?
cargo-partner offers tailor-made solutions for air, sea and road transport and logistics around the world, including a wide range of value added services. As a pioneer in the field of information logistics, cargo-partner develops innovative IT solutions for the optimization of the entire supply chain.

Today, cargo-partner counts over 2,500 employees in more than 26 countries across the globe. Our comprehensive matrix of own offices in Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, the Asia-Pacific Region and North America is supplemented by a strong network of agents and partners to achieve worldwide coverage.

In India we are focused on “Competitiveness to Make in India” in regard to logistics and supply chain optimization, and we have some exciting plans for projects we will be launching in the course of 2018 aimed at exactly this outcome.

How does cargo-partner optimize sales and purchase management and create strong benefits for its customers?
Trust, long-term cooperation and a client centric to each customer are our main priorities. Every cargo-partner employee is committed to upholding the highest quality standards and providing tailor-made solutions to ensure the full satisfaction of our clients.

We follow a strict quality assurance process which encompasses the careful selection of our core carriers and is reflected in numerous national and international certifications and awards. For example, in 2016, we were honored with the first place of the Lufthansa Performance Award, out of 38 Global and Premium Partners.

We also operate dedicated competence centers around the world to offer industry-specific transport and logistics solutions. We provide specialized services to our clients in the areas of Automotive, Fashion & Lifestyle, Foodstuffs & Perishables, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare as well as High-Tech & Electronics.

What do you think about the Initiatives like Make in India and GST taken by the Indian Government and how will it benefit the logistics industry?
It seems the two most talked about initiatives of the Indian government, “Make In India” and GST implementation, have been designed with the logistics industry in mind. While these two actions will have an immense impact on other industries and the internal Indian market, the logistics industry will benefit very significantly. The GST will help manufacturers reduce logistics cost by 1.5 to 2.5%. Further elimination of delays at check posts will yield additional savings of 0.4-0.8% in sales. These cost savings are, however, more likely to be gradual, as corporate will have to realign their supply chain while ensuring minimum business disruption. The impact of GST in logistics is going to be intense and radical; as it will not only result in the absorption of various taxes involved in the transportation of goods and services, but will also increase efficiency in the business. According to experts, Make In India will cause an increase in trade with Asia, Europe, and North America as well as an increase in demand for logistics services. To summarize, if the Indian government continues to propose more business-friendly schemes like dedicated freight corridors, Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, comprehensive tax structures, and incentives on cashless transactions, then we will witness an overall growth of the logistics industry.

An International platform such as 'Global Logistics Show' is contributing towards the growth of Indian logistics industry? What do you think about that?
Indeed, events like this are powerful platforms as they bring all involved parties such as buyers, sellers & service providers under one roof to interact and create business associations. This creates opportunities across the spectrum for companies involved in transportation, freight forwarding, shipping, eLogistics and many more. Sharing of best practices and awareness of trade compliance news helps organizations to excel in their fields. However these events must also address some of the challenges that our economy faces, some of which are summarized below.

Government/Regulatory and Industry Collaboration: The collaboration around some practices needs to be improved or strengthened in order for logistics players to deliver more to consumers in the way of competitiveness and ease of doing business.

Safeguard Decision Makers: The industry faces tremendous pressure from various vigilance and oversight bodies. Decisions may have been made in all integrity but ended up with negative consequences, a probability that always exists when it comes to decision making. As a result of this “witch hunt”, everyone in the system is currently afraid to make decisions.

No more “Crony” Ease of Doing Business: It is a common sight in Indian government offices to have company executives scurry into the rooms of secretaries and joint secretaries to discuss roadblocks in their business. However, with hardly 1% of business in the formal sector, only a fraction of businesses are large enough to have contacts and resources to reach out to senior levels of government. So effectively this becomes “crony” ease of doing business. What we need from the government at all levels is to proactively reach out to businesses to understand pain points and create the space for them to complain and address issues freely.

This will greatly help the industry and would also make the government aware of the gaps and shortcomings in the system. An exchange like this could be endorsed in large and educated forums such as the Economic Times Global Logistics Show.

We look forward to a participative and engaging session at the event!