Top 5 Tips for Logistics Companies in India to Keep Supply Chains Agile During the Pandemic

1. Top 5 Tips for Logistics Companies in India to Keep Supply Chains Agile During the Pandemic It makes enormous good sense to suggest that logistics companies in India are coming forward as the economy warriors of the country. The sheer resilience and agility demonstrated by the top logistics companies in India in the wake of the Covid19 pandemic amidst the lockdown and a multitude of measures announced by government agencies to contain the contagion offer some excellent takeaways for others in the industry to follow the lead and thus provide further agility to the country’s supply chain. Here is a list of some of the best practices put to practice by the best logistics service providers in India. 1. Make Supply Chains Low-Touch First, the top logistics service providers in India are deploying supply chain automation tools to enable visibility into the supply chain, thereby mitigating the risks of delays in shipments and deliveries of the cargo of essential goods. Those that have been investing in technology integration in the supply chain regularly are clearly well- positioned to keep the supply chains of their customers up and running despite staff shortages. 2. Invest Efforts in Protecting People Second, the top logistics service providers in India are investing heavily in ensuring the protection of their people. One of the most important factors to understand here is that the logistics function requires people to be out in the open, be mobile and therefore face significant health risks in the face of the Covid19 pandemic. As such the best logistics service providers in India are procuring PPE kits including N95 masks, nitrile gloves, coveralls and protective footwear for the people overseeing logistics operations to minimize the transmission of the virus. 3. Sanitize Vehicles and Warehousing Facilities Third, given the current scenario of the pandemic, it is only worthwhile for logistics companies to make extra efforts to sanitize their vehicles and warehousing facilities repeatedly to ensure compliance with the National Directives for Covid19 Management and Standard Operating Procedures for sanitization and social distancing as announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. The top logistics companies in India are leaving no stone unturned to ensure compliance with the regulations stated above and thus keeping supply chains from further disruptions. 4. Collaborate with Customers Using Digital Tools In the first instance, many businesses were sceptical about ensuring the efficacy of customer collaboration methods during the lockdown and concurrent measures to work from home. However, the leading logistics service providers in India have made the

2. transition to the new normal very seamless and smooth by leveraging digital tools like Microsoft Teams, Skype and other customer collaboration tools sharing real-time updates on the movement of goods, inventories in warehouses and dispatch status. 5. Map Alternatives for Logistics Routes Fifth, given the evolving contours of the lockdown and periodic changes to restrict the spread of the pandemic across geographies, logistics companies need to have contingency plans for logistics routes in place. There are containment zones and hot spots that do not allow the movement of people, vehicles and merchandise due to the health risks emanating from the pandemic. The top logistics companies in India are investing efforts to map alternative routes to keep their fleets of vehicles moving to serve customers better. Epilogue and Major Takeaways for Logistics Companies Looking Ahead What makes the impact of the Covid19 pandemic a challenge for logistics companies in India is that there is still no insight into the peaking of the transmission rates and consequently the eventual recovery; both health-wise and economy-wise. Therefore logistics companies in India need to make every effort to make their supply chain operations more efficient, faster and de-risked to be able to withstand forthcoming challenges.