Warehousing sector is evolving as e-commerce and q-commerce supply chains are pushing inventory towards consumers. Vamshi Karangula, Director, Industrial & Logistics, Sumadhura Group, shares insights into the future of fulfilment-driven warehousing and the rising demand for Grade-A logistics infrastructure.
Ritika Arora Bhola
How do you see warehousing evolve in the next five to 10 years, especially with rise of e-commerce and q-commerce?
Warehousing in India is moving away from storage-led formats toward fulfilment systems organised around speed and proximity. The expansion of e-commerce and the rise of q-commerce are pushing inventory closer to consumption centres through urban and near urban facilities. Broader distribution networks across tier II and III cities are becoming essential to uphold delivery commitments at scale.
This transition is reshaping supply chain management. Many brands are relying on 3PL providers for warehousing, fulfilment, transportation, and 4PL operators for coordinating with multiple service partners within a single operating framework. As a result, expectations around inventory visibility, turnaround discipline, and execution consistency are becoming far more rigorous across locations.
Market projections point in the same direction. The e-commerce sector is likely to approach US$ 400 billion by 2030 and q-commerce continues to expand its presence. Leasing activity in major cities reflects sustained demand for organised warehousing that can meet tighter delivery windows and rising order volumes. Over the next decade, developers who scale reliably, while remaining close to demand centres are likely to hold a clear advantage.
What are the key infrastructure trends driving demand for Grade-A warehouses in the country today?
Demand for Grade-A warehousing is being driven by infrastructure quality rather than simply location. One prominent trend is the preference for purpose-built industrial assets.
Facilities with heights, heavy-duty flooring, optimised dock planning, and pre-engineered construction enable denser storage and smoother material movement. These features improve throughput, while reducing downtime and handling inefficiencies.
Technology-readiness has also become important. Modern warehouses are likely to seamlessly support WMS, real-time tracking, and mechanised workflows without needing structural retrofits. Infrastructure that can accommodate automation is now embedded at the design stage.
Safety and compliance form another pillar of demand. Advanced fire safety systems, improved ventilation, and health-aligned shop-floor layouts influence occupier decisions, particularly in regulated sectors or multi-client environments where operational discipline must remain consistent.
Connectivity-led infrastructure is also decisive. Freight corridors, industrial clusters, and multimodal connectivity reduce transit variability, making well-located Grade A parks attractive for occupiers dependent on predictable turnaround times.
Finally, energy-efficient systems, integrated water management, and resource-conscious design are increasingly incorporated during development, reflecting tightening compliance standards and the need to maintain cost predictability over long lease tenures.
What challenges do developers face while creating large-scale, future-ready industrial parks?
Developing large-scale industrial parks involves structural challenges, beginning with land readiness. Developers often acquire big land parcels
before surrounding infrastructure, utilities, skilled labour pools, or supplier ecosystems are established. Even after legal acquisition is completed, the supporting environment may lag, slowing down early tenant absorption.
Land acquisition can be complex due to fragmented ownership patterns, pricing variations across the states, and prolonged processes related to title and land-use conversion. These factors introduce uncertainty into development timelines.
While the developers deliver internal roads and utilities, last-mile connectivity, reliable power supply, and rail or port linkages often depend on parallel public investment. A delay in these areas can impact operational readiness despite internal completion. Regulatory approvals require coordination across multiple authorities for land use, environmental clearances, utilities, and safety compliance. Differences in
interpretation and timelines across the states increase execution risk for developers operating across regions.
Workforce readiness is critical. Modern logistics and manufacturing demand specialised skills, but formal training ecosystems have not always kept pace. In many locations, social infrastructure, such as housing and transportation, must evolve before labour retention stabilises.Capital intensity and execution discipline are considerations. Plug-and-play industrial parks require upfront investment and phasing to balance long-term capacity creation.
What is the vision behind your `600-crore agreement with Telangana to develop an industrial and warehousing park?
Our Rs. 600-crore agreement with Telangana marks a step toward building a scalable industrial platform rather than a standalone project. The 100-acre industrial and warehousing park is designed to support globally benchmarked manufacturing and logistics operations across aerospace, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce sectors. From inception, focus has always been on built-to-suit infrastructure that allows enterprises to move from allocation to operations. The objective is to shorten commissioning timelines, reduce operational friction, and provide flexibility for future expansion.
We chose Telangana due to its clarity of policy, industrial momentum, and long-term manufacturing-led growth strategy. By aligning with the state’s broader economic direction, the project is positioned as part of an integrated ecosystem that supports job creation, supplier integration, and sustained capacity expansion. This initiative represents a phase in our industrial and logistics portfolio, with emphasis on institution-grade assets designed for long-term adaptability.
How do you see South India, specifically Telangana and Karnataka, emerge as key logistics hubs?
South India’s logistics prominence is anchored in manufacturing clusters, high-consumption urban markets, and access to Eastern and Western coasts, creating a two-way freight movement critical for occupiers committing long-term logistics capacity.
