With strategic planning and long-term focus, government’s initiatives act as catalyst to growth of industry. Developing and connecting national highways, road infrastructure, rail and ports will lead to seamless movement of goods for domestic consumption and EXIM cargo,” says Rajesh Jaggi, Vice Chairman, Real Estate, The Everstone Group.
Ritika Arora Bhola
How has been the year 2022 for IndoSpace? Share with us your recent innovations and developments?
The COVID crisis caused global distress and added headwinds to the already slowing Indian economy. It had a significant impact on the overall macro economy, including the industrial and logistics sector of India. However, 2022 has been constructive for Indospace and we have continued our consistent growth trajectory. Adding to that, the introduction of the National Logistics Policy (MLP) has proved helpful in accelerating the adoption of industrial and logistics infrastructure across India. We have signed an MoU with Karnataka to invest Rs 3,000 crore in the state over the next seven years. We have inaugurated new parks in Chennai, Delhi, and Bengaluru to expand our pan-India footprint to 51 million sq.ft. We have welcomed major tenants from across the world in our world-class industrial and logistics parks in India. Going forward, one of our focus areas remain environmental sustainability and we are taking several steps in that regard. We have implemented smart sensors and e-bikes in our parks using our unified technology platform.
The government’s initiatives to develop NHs, logistics, road infra, and dedicated freight corridors were appreciated. How do you foresee the future of the industry?
The infrastructural development will help fast track the rising demand and supply chain ratio in the country. With strategic planning and long-term focus, the government’s initiatives can act as a catalyst to the growth of the industry.
Developing and connecting national highways, road infrastructure, rail and ports will lead to seamless movement of the country’s goods for domestic consumption and EXIM cargo. This infrastructure will improve the speed to market, reduce time and enhance dependability and visibility across the supply chain. With such consumption potential, the requirement for storage and warehousing is expected to spike up. The industry’s outlook seems to be positive as suggested by a few reports, which showcases a growth trajectory over the coming years.
What are the most important metrics that track your services’ success, while serving a particular customer?
IndoSpace’s quality management systems are focused on creating the best Grade A warehouses. We ensure that each stage of construction is completed to the highest specifications and quality control standards. All our services are planned and closely monitored to ensure that it meets the specific requirements of our tenants. Here are a few key steps taken to provide them with world-class warehouse facilities.
- Stringent internal audit module to ensure 100 per cent compliance
- Daily quality checks done by professionally trained teams of site engineers
- State of the art software that ensures quality checks
- We ensure our clients always meet regulatory requirements by communicating and coordinating with the government for informational clarity from time to time
- Through our technical and maintenance services, we guarantee operational efficiency of our client’s assets, minimal breakdowns, and reduced downtime
- We carry out safety drills and tests to optimize the safety and security of our clients, their assets, and operations
- We undertake regular updates on our operational modules to stay up to date to the latest guidelines and technologies
Through multidisciplinary activities, facility management has helped optimize the functionality, sustainability, and safety-related aspects at IndoSpace. Our hands-on approach and exceptional customer service allows our clients to concentrate on their core operations. We have created a modern logistics ecosystem by deploying cutting-edge technology in facility management services to help improve our clients’ operational efficiencies.
How crucial is the role of technology in warehousing? Do we have trained drivers and skilled labourers to facilitate the same?
Tech advancements allow parks to remain adaptable in changing market conditions, meet rising customer expectations, and make efforts to improve environmental sustainability. The deployment of automation and robotics solutions will grow as the adoption of Grade A warehousing infrastructure grows increasingly commonplace. Process automation assists in increasing productivity, eliminating manual tasks, reducing manual errors, eases up and down scaling for season demand cycles. At the park level, Indospace monitors the movement of goods and materials within the park grounds using sensors and digital trackers. This apart, we use digital tools to make travel easier and to track consumables such as water and electricity within the park. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is deployed at IndoSpace parks to develop and operate Smart Park infrastructure with internet-enabled intelligent systems. We also employ drones for construction monitoring and to help our clients with real-time updates. Technology has always been at the core of IndoSpace and will continue to be an important factor in our growth story.
What are the strategies you are planning to devise to perk up the company’s operations for efficiency in business and network enhancement?
Our strategy is to provide the best-in-class, compliant and environment friendly facilities supported with the latest technology. From rooftop solar panels to natural ventilation designs to green material selection and water conservation—we are incorporating the latest design and sustainable solutions into our facilities to help businesses operate efficiently. IndoSpace strategically locates parks to cater to the needs of various sectors, which allow for sophisticated planning across regions, routes, and modes of transport to easily achieve time and cost goals. Going forward, we expect faster adoption of advanced technologies such as automated storage and retrieval systems, autonomous robots, picking and packing automations, Block-Chain, Big Data, and ML.
Tell us about your expansion plans, especially in tier II and III cities. What has led to this shift?
Transformation of e-commerce has led to the emerging consumption hubs in tier II and III cities. The rise of warehousing in tier II and III cities is encouraged by govt schemes. The 3PL companies are consolidating the requirements of e-commerce players in tier II and III cities. Tier II and III cities have more landmass accessible to carry out full-fledged operations and cheaper rentals. IndoSpace spotted the trend early and is leading the industry in expanding its footprint to tier II and III cities. In 2019 and 2020, IndoSpace launched six parks across the country in tier II and III cities, including Rajpura, Coimbatore and Sri City.
