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As part of the supply chain and logistics community, we are seeing a plethora of events happening in the sector. Speakers and delegates are given away awards so that they attend the conference. More than 200 awards are given out in a single event in a particular region.
When our team at Supply Chain Tribe started deliberating over names for CSCO Awards, we were targeting to give away 20 such awards. However, as we started shortlisting names, our final Awardees were just 10, not 50, not 100, just 10. While there were a few who did not accept, however our first list did not go beyond 25. In the actual sense of the term, CSCOs are few and far between.
As publishers, we use our conferences to generate high-quality and meaningful discussions and explore innovative ideas. These conversations are then re-purposed to create articles for our monthly magazine. Therefore, we carefully crafted the Agenda to address the most pressing issues, success stories, and advancements across the value chain. With at least 3 to 4 events happening every month, we took the additional pains to ensure that we were not repeating speakers from other events.
Sponsors are also fatigued to see those same faces. I know with this note I may be rubbing many people the wrong way. However, it is our collective responsibility to not use conferences just for personal publicity. Delegates and attendees come for knowledge and learning, for networking, for building connections and fostering a sense of pride.
We will continue to work hard to find hidden gems, whether as award winners or speakers. We promise elevated discussions, which will help shape the future of supply chain management.
Charulata Bansal PublisherCharulata.bansal@celerityin.com www.supplychaintribe.com
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Completing its 5th glorious year, Celerity Supply Chain Tribe Awards event is being hailed as the industry’s most coveted congregation, which not only recognizes and honours young Supply Chain Super Stars and Super Achievers, but also over the years, has become a proven landmark where innovative practices and success stories are celebrated and accredited by industry leaders. Competing with the best in class, this year’s Jury vetted awards have pushed the BAR even HIGHER with every nomination being worthy of achieving recognition. Here’s presenting a glimpse of the innovations and achievements of these young supply chain talent who we believe could well be the future CEOs…
A short recap of the action packed two-days of the 5th Celerity Supply Chain Tribe Conference & Awards 2023
10 | UP, CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH TOP 10
side, along with their learnings and management style developed over the years…
Yogesh Mishra, Executive Director - Supply Chain, HUL & Head of Supply Chain South Asia, Unilever
Swapn Malpani, Joint President & Global Head of Supply Chain & Procurement, Cipla Ltd.
Nitin Kathuria, Executive Vice President & Head - Supply Chain, Marico Ltd.
Saurabh Palsania, Joint President (Strategic Sourcing), Shree Cement Ltd.
Sreenivas Rao Nandigam, Global Head - Supply Chain, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries
Jehangir Katrak, Vice President - Logistics, Warehousing & CFA, India, Tata Consumer Products Ltd.
Yogesh Sarin, Director - Supply Chain, South Asia, Dell
Sandeep Baxla, Sr Vice President -Supply Chain, Indofil Industries Ltd.
Deepak Sharma, Head - Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Bajaj Electricals Ltd.
Balaji Reddipalli, Head - Supply Chain (Consumer Products), Borosil Limited
Editor: Prerna LodayaDISCLAIMER: This magazine is being published on the condition and understanding that the information, comments and views it contains are merely for guidance and reference and must not be taken as having the authority of, or being binding in any way on, the author, editors, publishers who do not take any responsibility whatsoever for any loss, damage or distress to any person on account of any action taken or not taken on the basis of this publication. Despite all the care taken, errors or omissions may have crept inadvertently into this publication. The publisher shall be obliged if any such error or omission is brought to her notice for possible correction in the next edition.
The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private/professional capacity and do not in any way represent the views of the publisher. All trademarks, products, pictures, copyrights, registered marks, patents, logos, holograms and names belong to the respective owners. The publication will entertain no claims on the above.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission of the publisher. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.
The year 2023 marked the 5th Anniversary of Celerity Supply Chain Tribe Awards. To celebrate this milestone, the Conference & Awards were a two-day grand affair with the underlying theme of ‘Creating Best Value Supply Chains’. The entire supply chain fraternity came together to celebrate the super stars and super achievers of the supply chain and raised a toast for exemplary achievements and innovative streaks. A report…
THE 5th edition of Celerity Supply Chain Tribe Awards, hosted on June 21 & 22 in Mumbai, was a hallmark event in ways more than one. This time, the poised platform not only celebrated the innovations and achievements of Under-30 Super Stars, Under-40 Super Achievers, Exemplary Supply Chain Companies, but also for the very first time, honored the top CSCOs of the country who are leaving a lasting trail for the young logisticians to follow. The presence of these industry heavyweights made this event truly a star-studded extravaganza and a memorable one.
The two-day event got a great head start with Hrushikesh Mehta, Senior Vice President – Financial Services, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), delivering the keynote address. During his speech, he enlightened the audience on ONDC’s mission to democratize commerce and financial services in India. In just about a year into operation, the growth graph of ONDC has been highly impressive. While this is just the start, a multitude of opportunities are in the offing for the entire ecosystem to leverage.
This two-day congregation saw leading Change Makers & Disruptive Thinkers gathered together to discuss and deliberate over the theme of creating best value supply chains. Wideranging discussions were centered on
Resilient Supply Planning, Customercentric Innovation, Sustainabilitycentric value chain operations, Decisioncentric technologies, Ethical Sourcing & Procurement Practices, Last Mile Delivery & Distribution, and a Humancentric work design.
The Awards evening provided a great platform for young supply chain managers to strike up a meaningful dialogue with the best minds in the industry and learn tricks of trade from them. Simulation Games by our sponsor ValueQwest kept the audience hooked throughout these power-packed two days.
Day 2 of the event started on a high note with an extremely engaging and refreshing corporate wellness activity conducted by Power8. The trainer demonstrated some power moves for thriving in the corporate arena and balancing success and wellbeing through simple yet powerful exercises.
All in all, with over insightful nine panel discussions having 50+ speakers, 250+ delegates and a host of interactive activities for the attendees, the event was a mega success.
Their journey started from backroom logistics and over the last three odd decades, they have seen, experienced and influenced the supply chain evolution in India to reach the Boardrooms. From ERP based technology to seamless digitalization, from godowns to Distribution and Fulfilment Centres, from limited information to real time visibility in their supply chains, from an operations driven function to customer centricity, and positioning India as a significant player in the global marketplace, we, at Celerity Supply Chain Tribe, selected these Top 10 CSCOs for all this and more. It was indeed a moment of pride to honour these exceptional personalities for their incredible contribution in making supply chains a SEAMLESS business affair. Here’s presenting their lighter side for our readers to learn not only the business acumen but also strike the right balance between their personal & professional lives.
unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals. In this age where change is the new norm, it is imperative for supply chains to build the capabilities of agility, resilience, and sustainability while continuing to drive excellence in cash, service, and cost. I would also urge next-generation supply chain professionals to stay curious. By encouraging a culture of continuous learning and exploration, we can stay ahead of industry trends, adapt to new challenges, and unlock innovative solutions. Curiosity fuels creativity and keeps us motivated to seek new knowledge and perspectives, leading to growth and success.
A book that has helped you at work.
I recently read a book called ‘Factfulness’. It is a thought-provoking book by Hans Rosling that challenges common misconceptions about the state of the world and presents rather an optimistic view of the world. I like how the book emphasizes the importance of analyzing a situation both qualitatively and quantitatively.
What has been your passion project till date?
I would want to talk about my current passion projects at HUL. We have undertaken this huge step towards digitalisation with Re-imagine HUL, and the digitalisation of the supply chain as a part of that program is something that really excites me.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
Listening to Music and Watching cricket are my favorite ways to unwind.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
I always handle every situation with the owner’s mindset. This really helps to put
forward my point of view with conviction.
What’s your Success Mantra?
I think unwavering commitment to business needs is what works for me. There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you only do it when circumstances permit. When you are committed, you accept no excuses but only results.
What’s your Leadership Style?
I strongly believe in the power of teamwork and fostering an environment where everyone's contributions are valued. I believe collaborative leadership style works for me.
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
I am really a cricket enthusiast and I actually watch highlights/matches on repeat at times.
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
I have worked with really inspirational leaders in my career, I would say I have been the lucky one to not get any bad advice. But the good one, which I hold very dear to my heart has been being Humble yet assertive.
Where was your last vacation?
My son stays in the US, so I visited him in Texas, USA. Me and my wife spent some quality time with our son and that was our last vacation.
What has been your passion project till date?
As a supply chain professional, my passion project has been focused on supply chain operations optimization and driving continuous improvement. I have been deeply involved in implementing advanced technologies and innovative strategies to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and minimize risks within the supply chain. Overall, my passion project revolves around leveraging technology, data, and sustainable practices to create a highly efficient and responsible supply chain that delivers value to the organization and its stakeholders.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
I unwind by engaging in physical activities like running, going in the pool and long-haul walking. This helps release stress and clear your mind. While during
my long walks, I also connect with friends and family to catch-up and have meaningful conversations.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
In my experience following strategies helps manage pressure and challenges on the professional front.
• Develop a strong team and empower them
• Prioritize and delegate effectively
• Promote candid communication and collaboration
• Continuous learning and improvement
• Foster a culture of accountability and resilience
What’s your Success Mantra?
I believe success is a progressive realization of a worthy goal and to be
successful, one needs to be goal oriented and have razor sharp focus on execution.
What’s your Leadership Style?
My leadership style is centered around fostering a collaborative and empowering environment, valuing open communication and trust, and enabling the growth and development of individuals. By cultivating a culture of teamwork and shared goals, I believe we can achieve remarkable results together.
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals…
Focus on the basics of supply chain, simplify complex processes, and embrace digital transformation.
Where was your last vacation?
Dubai
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals…
Supply chain is evolving very fast. New gen these days need to unshackle themselves with old learnings and keep building in new competencies & thoughts. I strongly believe current challenges cannot be overcome with old school of thoughts. One needs to innovate and bring in fresh perspective to stay ahead.
A book that has helped you at work
Powerful behavioural and leadership lessons from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People really impacted me.
What has been your passion project till date?
Safflower Contract Farming was the first major assignment that I had undertaken in Marico very early in my career. I have fond memories of it for the reasons beyond business impact. This genesis of the project was built on farmers’ wellness and thus provided me immense satisfaction to make an impact at that scale. Additionally, leading a team of 150+ members very early in my career gave me invaluable leadership lessons.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
Spending time with family which includes two young boys is the best stressbuster for me. Also, I like to work on my physical and mental well-being through long distance running and yoga, which provides me necessary ‘Me Time’.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
Every role will have fair share of challenges and expectations. In your mind if you focus more on the other sides of the same coin i.e., opportunities and fortune to leave a mark, suddenly these negative terms disappear. Taming your mind, thus, is the single most important element in dealing with these things.
What’s your Success Mantra? Hard work, Perseverance, and hunger to make difference
What’s your Leadership Style?
I strongly believe Magic happens through teamwork. I look to surround myself with great people and provide them with an environment that gets the best out of them.
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
I have always had a liking for motivational movies – Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump has been my favourite. Closer home, it is Bhag Milkha Bhag.
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
No advice is bad – it is the context that makes it look good or bad. One recent advice which I feel is very powerful is ‘Practicing Detachment for transformational results’, this enables keeping your biases & emotions aside and truly help you focus on delivering objectives.
Where was your last vacation?
Ladakh – a true heaven on earth; I was really mesmerized with the vagaries of nature this place has on offer.
Saurabh Palsania, Joint President (Strategic Sourcing), Shree Cement Ltd.
What has been your passion project till date?
One of my passion projects I would like to mention is the replacement of fossil fuel by Industrial and Municipal Waste in Cement Kilns, which helped in significantly reducing the carbon emission and carbon footprints of the organization and making the environment greener for the next generation.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
Quick 30-minute walk and listening old songs
How do you manage the pressure and
the challenge that comes with the job?
Clean and concrete planning and maximizing delegation of job
What’s your Leadership Style?
It’s a mix of autocratic and transformational leadership.
One tip to Survive & sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals. My success mantra is my tip: ‘Continuous Innovation & Long Term Vision’
A book that has helped you at work. The Power of Sub Conscious Mind by
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
Best advice: Passion and Patience
Worst advice: Leading by aggressive Follow-ups with the team
Where was your last vacation?
Bali, Indonesia
Joseph MurphyWhat has been your passion project till date?
Setting up factory at Uttaranchal while at RB with the time constraint of 10 months from the scratch.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
Honestly unwinding has been tough for me and I am wanting to learn ways to do so, having said that spending time with the family and work out at the gym next morning helps me unwind.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
Recruiting the right set of people and trusting them with responsibilities has
been the way I manage the challenges in the job.
What’s your Success Mantra? Work hard and Party harder.
What’s your Leadership Style? Trust people unless proven otherwise. I don’t wait for people to prove to be trustworthy and lose time and commitment of the team.
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals…
As clichéd as it may sound, the only constant is Change and the pace of change is becoming faster. Do not
expect situations to be smooth always, be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. Look for an Opportunity in the adversity and you will not just survive but thrive.
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
The best advice I received is “Don’t chase Money, let money be a consequence of what you do” and on the worst advice I don’t remember as it is not worth remembering perhaps.
Where was your last vacation?
US in May, and Turkey in November
What has been your passion project till date?
I have done many projects in my career spanning over 25 years, but the most challenging one was the integration project that I was entrusted to do three years ago. The Foods business of Tata Chemicals merged with Tata Global Beverages to form Tata Consumer Products in Feb 2020. There were two CFA networks that had to be integrated into one single network. As you know, the complete lockdown on account of the Covid pandemic started in Mar 2020, the entire project had to be executed during that time when teams were working from home and travel was restricted. The transition had to be orchestrated without any impact to business. The
kind of meticulous planning and work done during that period was phenomenal by the project team. This is one project which will always remain close to my heart.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
Not much time is available on weekdays to unwind, but I try to get my ‘Me Time’ 30-40 minutes before bedtime. Typically, I surf channels, internet, watch movies or go for a stroll after dinner with my family. The ‘unwinding’, I would say, happens only on Sunday, which would include playing badminton with my group of friends, going to the gym, or taking long walks, etc. What is more important is that, if you love and enjoy
what you do, then you really do not get tired. But yes, one needs to unwind and recharge batteries!
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
There are times when you are in a challenging situation, things are out of your control and there is a lot of pressure that comes along, but irrespective of the situation I remain calm, which helps me to think clearly thru the problem/ situation and come out of it. In such a situation, it is also important to be aware of the feelings of the team members and people around you and boost their morale. One must be measured in one’s approach.
I passionately believe in the saying, ‘When the going is tough, the tough gets going’.
What is your Success Mantra?
If you put your heart and soul into something and go beyond the brief, surely, you will succeed. But after having done that if still things do not work out, IT IS OKAY. One should not be pulled down by ‘one’ failure. In life, you win some and you lose some.
What is your Leadership Style?
If I must categorize myself, then my style of leadership is like a coach. I believe in empowering my team members, but at the same time, I would like them to take accountability for their decisions and results. I am result-oriented, and I do not encourage mediocrity.
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain
professionals…
My tip would be – do the job that you like. One can give his or her best to the job only when one enjoys doing the job and gets satisfaction out of it. Also always keep asking yourself – Is this going to add value to the company? How will it improve the situation from where it is today? One should use technology be it digital or otherwise to get the job done. And keep upgrading your skillset to be relevant in the industry. The only thing constant is CHANGE.
A book that has helped you at work
There are quite a few books from Supply Chain point of view. But I would still like to call out – The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It gives a lot of insight into Management, Supply Chain in an understandable manner.
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
I watch a lot of movies, but one which I do not hesitate repeating is the movie 3 Idiots.
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
Best advice: Irrespective of the problem or crisis on hand, one should respect all people involved and one should not lose control of oneself. And that each person is unique and what may work for one person may not be true for another.
Worst advice: Not really
Where was your last vacation?
I have not had a vacation after the pandemic but would be going on one soon. Just before the pandemic, we went on a holiday to Rajasthan. We had toured across Rajasthan and visited cities of Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Ajmer. We had a wonderful time. I was holidaying in Rajasthan for the first time.
What has been your passion project till date?
Several of them but most interesting were around end-to-end supply chain management of partners in contract manufacturing and 3PL, which was both challenging & satisfying. It started with contract negotiations, selection & onboarding, evolved with collaboration and relationship management through engaging technology-led performance management operations. Driving continual positive customer experience as an outcome is aways a rewarding experience.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
I am naturally a morning person, so preparation for any day starts with a disciplined fitness regime that rejuvenates body & mind and allows to shift focus away from work pressures ahead. Unwinding for me is spending quality time with loved ones.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
I strongly believe that supply chain is recommended for passionate professionals seeking reasonable adventure and not scared of uncertainties. With that as a personality trait, you would get your kick with ease without anything appearing as challenge.
What’s your Success Mantra? Success is not a destination but a continuous voyage of growth, perseverance & adaptability
What’s your Leadership Style? One Minute Manager
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals…
Embrace uncertainty and enjoy what you do
who are more knowledgeable, successful, grounded and intelligent than me.
What’s your Leadership Style? Delegation, collaboration, agility, trust and empathy have really helped me to lead, direct and guide my team successfully.
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals…
Be resilient and tenacious. Never flout your intelligence and position. Be grounded. Respect and treat everyone equally including the support staff in your organisations.
A book that has helped you at work. Two books that have inspired me are: The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Gemba Walks by James P. Womack. l recommend every Supply Chain professional to read these two books.
What has been your passion project till date?
The challenge and excitement of establishing the Supply Chain Organization in Indofil Industries Limited, lured me to leave Henkel. Two years that it took me to set up the Supply Chain department from scratch was managed akin to a project with clearcut milestones and deliverables. I would rate this stint as the most enriching and professionally satisfying project.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
I am a family person and like to be with them after work. An hour of brisk walk in the evening also helps me to unwind and take stock of the whole day’s work.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
I reach office quite early in the morning. I use the first one hour of the day in reviewing and adding to my ‘To Do List’, finish reading and replying all my mails, ensure all my meetings/VC for the days are blocked in the calendar. Basically, planning my entire day. I strictly ensure that my tasks for the day are completed and avoid carry forward. I avoid procrastination. I do not micromanage, trust my team, and give them complete independence in decision making with very little interference.
What’s your Success Mantra? Hire and surround myself with people
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
‘Sholay’ and ‘Jab We Met’ are the two movies that I have watched multiple times and still enjoy watching them.
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
Best advice: Never Procrastinate
Worst advice: Hire only the top quartile people.
Where was your last vacation?
My last long vacation was in Goa with my family couple of months before the pandemic.
What has been your passion project till date?
My passion project is always delivering value for the organization through outof-the-box thinking. I can recollect from my time in GE, where I led the project on cost reduction and meeting the X% deflation target (it’s a historical number) for the supply chain function. I set ambitious targets for my team and was able to achieve them.
Another interesting project was from my stint with Indus towers as VP, supply chain management. Initially, the supplier satisfaction score was among the lowest. I had to develop & implement Supplier Relationship management and Structured Contract Governance program with suppliers. My focus was on value creation rather than just negotiation with suppliers. This helped to turnaround the situation and we achieved the highest supplier satisfaction survey scores in the industry.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
It is indeed true that most of the workdays have become tough over the past few years in this VUCA world. My simple way of unwinding after a tough day is to spend time with my family, watch some comedy shows and follow my favourite sports. Watching a cricket match, highlights & expert commentary is also one of my usual ways to relax. During the weekends, I also like to go on long drives with my family.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
Clear Communication and Connect with the stakeholders and facing the problem head-on is essential for me. I usually get my team into a short meeting/huddle. By getting together we communicate clearly on the problem, identify responsibility of individual team members. We use
Brainstorming, benchmarking & other techniques to find solutions. It is usually followed by creating a clear action tracker for implementing the solutions and including support required for execution, is the next step. It is a MUST to identify action owner clearly and set the timelines for implementing the solution. I follow it up with regular governance and review with my team for any support they require. Timely escalation is also a critical thing which I encourage.
My philosophy at work is ‘People First’. So, I take care of my team by being approachable, planning coffee-connects, team dinners, outings & even family gettogethers. I believe If people are happy & comfortable working in organization, then they’ll deliver.
your Success Mantra?
There is no one success mantra to be the best in my career. ‘Failure is not a crime, but dreaming low is’, this is what I follow
and also preach to my team. One should take up tough challenges and aspirational ideas, as the rewards would be far greater in case of success. If we take up mundane tasks or set low and easy goals, we’ll be able to achieve those without much effort, but create little value. Failure is fine, even if we don’t succeed as it can still provide valuable learnings and experience.
“Unconstrained” thinking is also a mantra, which helps me to find innovative solutions to problems. The limits we put on our thinking or to the problem, creates a narrow attitude. It is important to think without limits and then find ways to enable getting over the limits.
During my team connects, I always emphasize on one ‘One Team, One Dream’. Collaboration between the stakeholders is what I persuade my team to achieve. Any initiative or project under my guidance always has the 5P framework integrated in it. 5P denotes People – which are customers & employees, Partner i.e. suppliers or vendors, Process, Planet and Performance. This outcome of this approach will be business excellence in whatever we do.
I would like to share the most important thing which I follow and encourage others to do so – it is Integrity in professional and personal life. It is often considered as doing the correct thing even when no one is watching, being consistent, reliable, responsible and owning actions. I consider it to be the most important asset of any team or organization.
The world is constantly changing, and disruption is more frequent. Prior to pandemic, processes like JIT and lean, strategies like lowest-cost supplier were in trend. But during the pandemic and supply shortages, there was a fall in JIT as supply fell and logistics came to halt or faced massive delays. Many organizations and governments are now looking at localization, moving from offshoring to on-shoring. The focus now is to develop better supplier relations, enhance collaboration and innovation. My advice for the Next Gen supply chain professionals is to follow the basics. One
should keep learning, enhancing skills for achieving flexibility and keep aiming for high goals or big dreams. When you are developing a supply chain for a business or crafting the supply chain strategy, always make an effort to keep the supply chain modular & agile so that it can survive the unpredictable surprises of the VUCA world.
The book I consider most helpful is ‘First, Break all the Rules’ by Marcus Buckingham. The book has shaped my style of working and has been immensely helpful. The book teaches about challenging the status quo and conventional management thinking so that the organization and individual can use full potential. By breaking the traditional rules, success can be achieved by effective managers who concentrate on talent, outcome, fostering strength, and discovering the ‘right fit’. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that one should start disrespecting each and every process or people, but to think differently to take all together towards success. Another great book, which helped me is ‘Good to Great’ by Jim Collins. I liked the idea of ‘Good is the enemy of Great’ as it goes against the mediocre thinking and easy work. Instead, it asks for striving for excellence. It also taught me for transforming into a ‘Great’ organization, one needs disciplined people, thought, and action.
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
I would select 3 idiots, although a decade old now, I can watch this movie many times. The movie has good humour and at the same time teaches us many things about life and work. The main protagonist ‘Rancho’ from movie inspires everyone through a famous dialogue – ‘Don’t’ run after Success, instead pursue Excellence and then Success will automatically seek out’. Learning should not be for grades or getting a job or doing a business, but for knowledge and curiosity. Throughout the movie, there are also scenes which enlighten the audience to challenge the usual and conventional thinking and at the same instance show creative thinking to solve the problems. It also makes a point that one should follow their heart and do what they love, regardless of what others think.
The best advice I have ever received was given in GE and it transformed my life. It was the time when I was a young profession, below 30, and managing quality function. Due to my fondness for implementing new initiatives and proactive work, the top management called for me and said that I have the qualities to work in Supply Chain Management. There were two concepts in focus during that time: 6-sigma and cost deflation. I took up the challenge and switched to my new role. My superiors believed that I could drive supply chain to its goals which I did.
The worst advice I received was to maintain status quo as some people have an attitude of ‘That’s how things always happen here’ and don’t take bigger targets. In Hindi, we call it, ‘Yaha aisa hi chalta hai’ attitude. This was something which didn’t fit in my values, and I had to take great efforts to overturn the attitude to improve my team. I always believe in going beyond in our goals and thinking. If we believe that things will continue to happen in same way, then there is no value addition from employees in the organization. I’m glad I didn’t follow the advice, otherwise things would have been different.
With a busy professional life and work responsibilities, it is often difficult to plan and experience a nice vacation. I recently gone on a vacation to everyone’s favourite tropical paradise – Maldives. It helped me connect with the nature and the beauty of our oceans.
What has been your passion project till date?
Developing a statistical forecasting model using causal inputs has been one of my passion projects till date. Now I want to use some AI/ML in this.
How do you unwind yourself after a tough day @ work?
I listen to music – sometimes Carnatic, sometimes Rock or a random selection that suits my taste then.
How do you manage the pressure and the challenge that comes with the job?
Pressures are almost always temporary in nature, while the long-lasting changes you do is the imprint you leave in the organization. I always have this mindset while dealing with any challenging situation.
What’s your Success Mantra?
Focus on:
• Structural changes that are long lasting
• Have KPIs that continuously measure
• Have a strong team that is as focussed as you are.
What’s your Leadership Style?
Continuous engagement with all stakeholders and delegation to my team. In Supply Chain, it is easy to lose touch with the ground situation. Keeping your
eyes & ears open is key to driving change.
One tip to Survive & Sustain in the unforeseen situations / your advice to Next Gen Supply Chain professionals…
There is no substitute for visiting the field – visit the market, meet transporters and visit warehouses as often as you can. This can be challenging, but keeping the ground level connect is the key.
A book that has helped you at work… Two books actually – The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, and Key Performance Indicators by David Parmenter
A book that you can read any number of times or a movie you can watch any time.
Book – Yes Minister. This is a timeless satire that I enjoy every time I read. Movie – Twelve Angry Men – shows how our prejudices and biases cloud our thinking, and the challenges in consensus building.
What is the best and worst advice you have received?
Best Advice – Be Yourself
Worst Advice – You can do a sales job!
Where was your last vacation? Kolkata and Puri
To all the dis�nguished guests, esteemed speakers, sponsor partners, and respected par�cipants, who made our 5th Celerity Supply Chain Tribe Conference and Awards such a grand success.
We are immensely grateful for your invaluable contribu�ons in making the recently concluded event an outstanding triumph! Together, we embarked on a remarkable journey of knowledge sharing, networking, and honoring excellence, leaving an indelible mark on the industry.
Words cannot express our gra�tude for the unwavering support & enthusiasm displayed by each and every one of you throughout the event. From the dis�nguished speakers who shared their exper�se, the passionate a�endees who joined us, to the partners for their valuable support, you have truly made this event a resounding success.
Our Partners
Entering its glorious 5th year, Celerity Supply Chain Tribe Awards event is being hailed as the industry’s most coveted congregation, which not only recognizes and honours young supply chain super stars and super achievers and offers them a poised platform for growth, over the years, it has also become a proven landmark where innovative practices and success stories are celebrated and accredited by industry leaders. Competing with the best in class, this year’s Jury vetted awards have pushed the BAR even HIGHER with every nomination being worthy of achieving recognition. As the supply chain domain is charting the most important course in its growth trajectory in the country with a slew of government measures ably backing the momentum, it’s only pertinent that we select the most outstanding LOGISTICIANS who are READY to take this growth trajectory upwards. Here’s presenting a glimpse of the innovations and achievements by these supply chain young talents which have helped them earn the most credible accolade…
In 2019, I attended a conference in Singapore where I met a company that manufactures and operates a fleet of unit load devices (ULDs). They wanted to get the ULDs to India for building up the inventory and then export by air. We worked closely with them to improvise on a solution using the Free Trade Warehousing Zone so that the ULDs can come to India and go out without payment of duty. This actually opened new avenues for us to enter into FTWZ vertical and helped to increase the revenues substantially. To top it all, the exposure and learning that I got while working with a global organization and critical timelines was immense and that's something that has actually impacted us big time. This is what I personally believe, don't sell what you have rather work on the problems of the customers and you will have a star product / service. We have made this a culture in our organization to tap new clients by finding solutions to the problems that they might not even know of and that actually helps to make stronger relations with the clients.
While working on a Route Optimization project for a leading FMCG client, I realized that the objective of transportation cost reduction is incomplete without considering outbound load optimization. Considering the need for automation, I developed a truck load optimization tool that allocates packages to individual vehicle based on weight and volume constraints. The optimized solution leads to automated truck load building and helps in bringing visibility to truck utilization. I conceptualized and strategized the requirement and developed a working POC model with advance Analytical capabilities. I developed the tool to integrate data from multiple sources and customize to multiple scenarios. Since I was working on an industry agnostic tool, there was a need to add multiple custom based scenarios to accommodate different scenarios. I worked on the product right from inception to final delivery where at times I required collaboration with different technical teams and understand the limitations of different tools. I was able to successfully deploy the model for a large FMCG brand, leading to improved utilization of truck capacity by 20%.
I got the opportunity to lead a first-of-a-kind project on service level prediction for one of the largest FMCG conglomerates (>$100 billion annual revenue) to address the problem of incremental customer penalty costs on account of non-fulfillment of agreed order levels grossing $98 million per annum. This resulted in lost contribution and exposure to reputational and customer service risks. The project expectations required to evaluate the drivers of order failures such as uneven inventory distribution management, operational inefficiencies in the value chain including excessive slack time in material movement, and inadequate thirdparty vendor oversight resulting substandard performance in distribution. The main challenge included non-homogenous data across multiple on-premises and cloud platforms, human dependencies in tracking the performance metrices and nonstandardized change management processes. I led a team to ideate, develop, and implement an effective prediction model (based on machine learning algorithms) involving extrapolatory data analysis on historical data and defining event-tracers and data markers. Individual responsibilities included owing the project deliverables and accountability for milestone adherence, partnering with functional SMEs knowledge transfer and management, and obtaining timely feedback from the client on the prediction model for creating a fit for business capability. The solution resulted in generating actionable insights in advance of order date by four weeks, which led to cost savings by reduction in possible penalty costs to the tune of $48 million per annum. The success of the solution led to its adoption and deployment across the entire enterprise. As customer service continues to evolve, this kind of projects will set a new benchmark for excellence in the FMCG world, demonstrating the true power of technology, collaboration and strategic foresight.
I was able to deliver two back-to-back demand planning projects in a short time span of four months for two global supply chain heavy companies. The first company was an American candy manufacturer which heavily relied on forecast accuracy due to the short shelf life of inventory and the other was a giant automotive aftermarket part provider which relied on the precise forecast to deliver the right inventory at the right place at the right time. I have conceptualized comprehensive strategies to improve overall forecast accuracy and performed tool-based analytics (R, Python, Excel) to cluster SKUs. I performed forecast accuracy calculation for over 25-30 iterations in a time-bound fashion to maintain the workflow and developed custom tools to analyze time-series patterns outside SAP APO. I assisted the advanced analytics team to enhance forecast accuracy further using advanced time series models as well as ML techniques. Working on these two projects helped my organization deliver on a very important aspect of demand planning to increase forecast accuracy. It helped me gain a deeper understanding of statistical modeling and trend analysis. The project required analysis of historical sales data to predict future demand, which in turn helped to manipulate and interpret large data sets, identify patterns, and create meaningful visualizations. More than that, it helped me to understand the supply chain dynamics very well such as inventory management, logistics, and supply planning.
Being the lead for Inbound Freight Logistics procurement for South Asia, I was responsible for centralization of negotiations and roadmap development for logistics strategy for HUL South Asia region. India Freight market is not structured, and industry is unorganized. Shortage of drivers, lack of infrastructure and return loads remained as prime challenges for the industry. We understood end-to-end process of freight negotiation & planning and plotted ‘As Is’ process, formed task force groups and within a few months, readied the base data for negotiation and optimization. We framed procurement strategy in line with the value-based concept of zero-based budgeting and analyzed cost end-to-end to optimize logistics cost.
We identified opportunities to unlock value in freight cost using many tools like e-tendering and new regionalized suppliers who provided more competitive rates for many key routes. We also unlocked opportunities in part load service which was a big chunk in logistics cost through consolidation and development of hubs close to factory locations to reduce freight cost per ton.
We introduced multi-model logistics model for the first time in Inward logistics in HUL, which was a gamechanger in the transportation journey. HUL handles huge liquid cargo movement to its factories which come in bulk tankers. The rates of tanker movement were much higher than conventional open body truck rates as there is no return load in case of tanker movement in majority of the routes. This low utilization of loads in tankers leads to higher rates and hence the need to optimize rates. Even though we tried to optimize rates through e-tendering and negotiations, there was no further potential possible through conventional processes. Then came the idea of ISO tanks which were slowly being used by industries for liquid cargo export and import movements. The idea was to use the ISO tanks on rail-road mode in place of bulk road tankers. The cost was more competitive due to the clubbing of load for multiple customers and was more carbon friendly option compared to road movement. This idea was piloted for one route with 30% lesser cost compared to road movement cost and was successfully rolled out in other sectors as well. ISO tank model was safer, and more cost effective compared to road tanker.
Apart from freight cost optimization, I was also instrumental in working with the SC Finance team to develop an SAP linked portal where suppliers could put their invoices and know their payment status thereby eliminating the manual process of sending invoices to factories and saving time lost in manual processing. This was considered a big feat in terms of automating freight payments and enabled timely payment to vendors thereby enabling better service.
People across different departments worked together on this project delivering more than 30% savings in the region through collaborative efforts. This is one of the highest value-creation projects under ‘untapped value’, which was part of the gross margin improvement agenda for HUL.
Senior Manager,
As the Head of India Inventory & Dispatch Planning, my objective is to ensure maximum availability of all products at all point-of-sale locations at a lower freight. I strategized and led a Dispatch Planning Transformation project that couples inventory planning with load optimization. Our existing FTL:LTL ratio for movements between Warehouses and CFAs was 65:35. I believed this can be improved to a good extent with better planning and using technology. I redesigned the existing dispatch planning logic and onboarded a consultant who provided us with a load optimization platform. Once we were ready with the new solution, we decided to test it. We did a pilot at our biggest warehouse. Through this new process, we were able to achieve an FTL:LTL ratio of 90:10 compared to the existing 65:35. This gave us savings of almost 10% of the freight spend at the warehouse. More importantly we were successful in maintaining our high service levels by ensuring availability of products at all locations. This solution, if implemented at all warehouses, has the potential to generate savings of about Rs3 crore per annum. The new process also improved the efficiency in warehouse operations where the warehouses were now able to completely execute the dispatch plan in 2-3 days whereas earlier it took them around four days. The team and the management could see the results and were motivated to scale it up. We took the solution to another warehouse and were able to repeat the results. We are currently in the process of scaling the solution to the remaining three warehouses.
It was a challenge to convince the team to use a new method as compared to the existing method that was in use for years. I had to push them to believe in this idea that could add a lot of value to the company. Through a successful pilot, I was able to achieve that. This project was crucial in proving the efficiencies that can be generated by leveraging optimization tools.
I oversee the development of new product introduction (NPI) forecasting, which plays a crucial role in assisting Bose in accurately predicting the sell-through demand for upcoming products. The global supply chain function has faced challenges due to recent pandemic-related disruptions, resulting in shortages of electronic chips and components. These disruptions emphasize the importance of precise planning and timely manufacturing to meet customer demands. While Bose has traditionally utilized basic modelling approaches for forecasting new product demand, there have been instances where the overall demand for a new product was not accurately predicted, leading to significant forecast errors.
Enhancing the accuracy of NPI forecasting is paramount to avoid adverse outcomes such as excessive inventory or missed revenue opportunities. To address this, I am leading a project focused on creating a highly accurate and scalable demand-sensing framework for Bose products prior to their launch. This project involves collaboration with key stakeholders, including the manufacturing, supply chain, and sales teams. The model employed in this project generates probabilistic outputs, enabling the business to assess the associated risks across various forecast levels. Our recent forecasts for a newly launched product have showcased a substantial improvement compared to our previous benchmark, highlighting the progress made in enhancing forecast accuracy. The ability to generate accurate NPI forecasts also carries significant financial implications, representing a valuable opportunity when fully implemented.
As the head of transportation at Snowman Logistics in FY 2018-19, the revenue was approximately Rs75 crore. Since then, we have made significant progress. In fact, during FY 22-23, we achieved a revenue of Rs125 crore, which is a considerable accomplishment for our team. To achieve this growth, one of the primary things we did was to focus on improving our yield per kilometer. We accomplished this by bringing on new customers and expanding into new segments. As a result, we were able to increase our revenue year after year. In addition to revenue growth, we also took steps to control our costs. This involved a careful evaluation of all the related expenses, such as fuel, route expenses, and repair and maintenance costs. This helped us increase our EBITDA year after year. We also prioritized vehicle maintenance, resulting in high uptime and better revenue per vehicle. This, combined with our revenue and cost control strategies, led to our team being awarded by our leadership team as the best growing vertical.
This year we started getting major hit due to automotive damages. We took this up as a strategic project to add value to the business. The task at hand is to reduce the overall damages. We did Strapping Implementation in over 100+ sites, leveraged past efforts of MOQ Implementation for better network optimization. We initiated an awareness drive for enhanced industry behavior change. These efforts resulted in reduced transit damages; better loadability and possibility of counting accurately; uniform load; bundling as per equipment category; safe unloading at SC; reduced TAT for vehicle both at OEM and at SC (during unloading); reduced labour cost for unloading at SC. With rigorous efforts of team across OEMs, we were able to reduce unloading and loading times as well as transit damages. The project was appreciated by the supply chain team and this also enabled us to implement dehire discrepancy process as one of the key requirements was to offer material to driver in a countable manner such that the ‘transfer of ownership’ can be completed. This process made us realize that we do not have to innovate every time, being simple (like implementing strapping solution at a minimal cost) is OK, leveraging present resources is ideal (like available literature used for industry retraining), MOQ implementation work done in the past proved the right stepping stone to deliver an awesome project.
I have been working on various areas like Strategic Sourcing, Supply Chain, New Product Development, Pricing from last 16 years with several automotive industries like Tafe Motor & Tractor Ltd, Ashok Leyland Ltd, Escorts Kubota. Presently I am heading Casting, Forging and Sheet Metal Domain in Escorts Kubota and set-up complete purchasing strategies & processes since the beginning when Kubota Corporation came up with Escorts Ltd in 2019. While leading the team, I successfully launched three domestic and two global projects and established complete procurement systems and policies.
Even after Covid-2019 challenges, I kept the team motivated and managed the supplier relationship to ensure timely implementation of projects. While handling more than ₹10 Billion spend, we were able to achieve 21% cost saving wrt. to BOM value in 2020. Moreover, supplier capacity ramped-up up to 115 tractors per month production. While in Ashok Leyland, I led Sourcing and Supply chain - forging team and representing sourcing team during Deming Award Journey in 2016. I was able to set up green supply chain under environment-friendly packing implementation throughout the organization.
During localization exercise, I established a new supplier base near Pantnagar plant & achieved more than 80% part localization by volume, also outsourced timing gears and ramped up production of engine sets up to 8000. I have led the team during BS4 implementation, ensured timely development, and supply ramp-up to meet business plans.
During the jorney so far, I was involved in setting up two greenfield projects and designing complete purchasing systems and procurement policies aligning with organizational goals. Apart from procurement, I helped in developing quality systems using the TQM approach and implemented not only within the company but also at the supplier’s end.
As I embarked on this exciting journey, I realized that the Indian cold chain industry is grappling with fragmentation of supply, compromised locations and absence of standardization of processes. Our interactions with customers highlighted that the customer experience was very poor and basic hygiene expectations of temperature were heavily compromised and a distant reality. Existing cold chain infrastructures were under and inefficiently utilized, and customers struggle with limited access to world class infrastructure.
At this point, our deep understanding, experience and knowledge about the intricacies of the cold chain industry of India has served as a clear vision for developing inhouse proprietary powerful tech solutions. Our future-ready tech tools handhold our customers at every step, on one hand, while on the other, offer complete transparency and trackability at any given time and maintaining the requisite temperature across the chain.
At Indicold, we have adopted a holistic approach to demand and supply and the goal is to provide service at par with global standards. We are solving this problem by organizing the fragmented cold chain infrastructure and providing a seamless one stop demand and supply-side experience and service. It makes inventory discoverable and usable, while providing a standardized and trusted experience to cold chain customers. The outcome is clearly an enriched customer experience backed by standardized SOPs and intelligent & innovative tech solutions ensuring efficacy, cost efficacy and peace of mind. At Indicold, our endeavour is to democratize the cold chain by leveraging new data points to pinpoint and fix supply chain hiccups, maintain the integrity and safety of infrastructure, and improve predictability and reliability with end-to-end visibility.
With more than a decade in a market-leading procurement and supply chain consulting firm, I have been part of several innovations that have impacted the way businesses across the globe operate. The aftermath of Covid-19 saw businesses grappling with new challenges. Among these, managing cash flows, reducing discretionary spend, and maintaining operating margins became paramount. A global leader in the manufacturing industry approached GEP seeking assistance in modernizing its procurement function to tackle these challenges.
I found myself tasked with the transformation of an extensively decentralized procurement organization, spanning 50+ sites with 20+ distinct ERP systems, into a more centralized and efficient entity. Besides, the client was keen on leveraging technology (AI/ML) for digitalizing Source-to-Pay (S2P) processes to improve efficiency, drive policy compliance, improve reporting and analytics, reduce risks, etc.
I spearheaded a team to conceptualize a digital procurement transformation program. We aimed at a digital approach, encouraging collaboration and strategic cost management. Our solution also involved designing and implementing an efficient, center-led organizational structure, introducing Centers of Excellence for different elements of procurement such as contract management and e-sourcing. We recognized that technology would be a critical enabler for this transformation. Hence, we implemented the GEP SMART technology platform to serve as a unified backbone for all procurement tasks. We also redesigned the S2P process flows to ensure full integration with the new technology platform, boosting automation in the process. The key activities included setting up multiple spend control towers to track purchases and spending, developing an integrated dashboard for visibility into realtime consumption data, and establishing processes for procurement to intercept and challenge bad costs. We also set up war rooms with the C-suite for quick responses. This streamlining and digitalizing S2C process became the driving engine for Procurement and Finance to collaborate closely providing real-time visibility of the costs. Improved expenditure planning through a closed-loop approach and periodic governance enabled leadership to take quick actions.
The results were compelling: the client saw $100 - $120 million in P&L savings over the last couple of years and a 60-65% boost in Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) transaction processing productivity. These strategic changes helped the client manage costs systematically, thus facing the crisis more effectively than its competitors.
As a Data Science leader in Telstra, Sayan has been working in AI based Digital Transformation in Supply Chain domain. As a Senior Manager in Global Supply Chain in his previous company AB InBev, he also led large scale transformation programs. AB InBev had multiple geographical zones and there was no uniform ERP or processes across the zones. There were legacy systems tracking supply chain information with no control over data quality. There were no checks on the data and many a times there were wrong entries due to slip of pen. In most of the cases, the numbers didn’t tally, and it impacted the business review both at function level and at a zonal level. This led to delay in decisions and improper visibility within supply chain. Along with my team, we implemented One Source of Truth for the Supply Chain information using Integrated Business Planning solutions of Anaplan. Additionally, we augmented the solution with an AI-based anomaly detection capability, which provided checks based on historical and benchmarking on similar units, and this led to a decrease in error rate by 18%. Post implementation, we were able to provide better data and insights for critical business decisions. It helped detect some other windfall opportunities to Finance teams as well like identification of around $12M of Capex otherwise wrongly classified as Opex in ERP system resulting in potential EBITDA savings.
I introduced tailored supply chain finance solutions in the organization by making a paradigm shift from conventional CC funded payments to buyer-led supply chain finance techniques. On Payables side, I introduced TReDs (for MSMEs) and Vendor Financing. Both these SCF solutions helped us in optimizing working capital by increasing our DPO. To delve further, we introduced Dynamic discounting vide early payment solution, for our suppliers which helped us in reducing our COGS and maximizing our return by having an APR of more than 12% PA. On the other hand, Vendor financing helped our suppliers to obtain finance at much lower rates based on our credit standing and Brand Image. The payable management solutions helped in three most vital ways: ensured timely payments to vendors, even early; helped Vertical heads to maintain the supply chain without any interruptions/hindrance and extended credit period of 90 days, at a low rate of around 7 – 7.5 % (on an average). Simultaneously, on the Receivables side, we introduced Inventory funding to our distributors, which resulted into immediate access to cash without navigating through issues or dealing with long waits that are generally associated with realization of receivables from customers, thus, improving sales coverage with reduction in DSOs. To add further, it benefited our channel partners too as they would be getting part of the working capital at much lower rates than their existing limits through extension of DPO.
For Payable management, we journeyed with the help of our technology partners who not only provided us the platform for static as well as dynamic discounting but also got the entire family of transactions completely automated and amalgamated with ERP, using T-codes, in such a way that not only it eliminated all manual legs but also increased the efficiency and productivity of the employees, thereby restructuring and strengthening the payment wings of the group. For Receivables Management, we entered into tie-up with finance providers under channel financing for the distributors of Patanjali group. We moved a step further from the conventional mode of invoice discounting to the raising of draw down request by distributor; which is backed by a PO, and is completely automized. The partnership resulted into immediate access to cash without navigating through issues or dealing with long waits that are generally associated with realization of receivables from customers. For DSS, we partnered with Tableau for the entire data fetching, construction of dashboards, designing of graphics, presentation of data story board, maintenance, to name a few. Considering the gravity of data, the solution we opted was on-premises.
In recent years, we were all challenged by major global disruptions, which led to lot of volatility and uncertainties across industry segments impacting supply chains of the world. It simply meant supply chain teams needed to be more resilient and offer flexibility to the business. This flexibility leads to lot of challenges with managing inventories in sync with business dynamics. I functioned as digital transformation catalyst and enabled several Analytics and Automation projects empowering supply chain professionals to take better, faster and information driven decisions. One such great success story is on Inventory Analytics. I catalyzed a team of business process champions and data scientists, which built multiple analytics models recommending inventory driving parameters. This has helped supply chain teams to migrate from gut feel based decision making to an algorithm-based decision making. Through adoption of these analytical tools, we were able to deliver significant reduction in safety inventory as well reduce operating inventory thereby improving asset performance and delivering bottom line savings through inventory carrying cost reduction.
During my previous stint with Dabur, I was monitoring annual freight budget of Rs220+ crores and ensuring availability of more than 2000 SKUs across all warehouses at lowest cost to serve and least time to market. We managed India & Nepal Supply network planning & demand fulfillment in order to have least freight cost from 30+ locations to 28 warehouses and delivered annual cost saving of Rs5 crore in transportation budget. We opted for a different strategy in ensuring these saving. Firstly, for juices dispatches, we introduced double decker truck to address the stack height and cost optimization in the same trip. This has increased the vehicle utilization and lowered down the freight cost by 1.5%. Secondly, we introduced multimodal transportation after identifying the lanes where the inward movement vis road is comparatively high, e.g. from North to Guwahati, truck freight is almost double from Guwahati to North so started supply from North Guwahati via Train and this has lowered the cost by 3% for servicing the stocks to Guwahati based customers.
We have created an entire framework for improving last node availability for organized trade customers. In this framework, we have integrated the stock levels of key customers to understand out-of-stock (OOS) instances for Marico products. We have created end-to-end loss tree for understanding the root cause of these OOS instances. Daily OOS alerts have also been created basis the OOS loss tree for carrying out sharp action as a next step. This project has led to significant improvement in last node stock availability for key organized trade customers and has started contributing to increasing the topline for organization.
Ankit has been a corporate development and investment professional in the supply chain industry for 12+ years and has worked across multiple geographies including India, UK, Hong Kong and Singapore. As a corporate development professional, Ankit has helped scale businesses by implementing organic and inorganic strategies. As an early-stage/growth investor, he has invested in innovative supply chain business in India and SE Asia and has helped these businesses with their product-market-fit, goto-market, operational and fund raising strategies. Ankit has a unique experience of working within supply chain business implementing operational strategies and also investing in companies and driving them strategically. Ankit is also a well-regarded angel investor and advisor to startups in India and SE Asia.
Looking back on my 10 years of professional life, there were many significant innovations & breakthroughs that enabled me to advance in my career and contribute to organization’s success. I have been instrumental in leading various process improvement and automation projects. While working in the warehouse domain, my focus had always been on effort reduction while keeping operator’s comfort in my mind. These are the recent innovations executed by me:
Direct Dispatch of Vendor Parts to RPDCs (Regional Parts Distribution Centres): There was a projected contribution of 5600+ trucks (inflow and outflow) due to internal material transfer of fast moving parts from Mother warehouse to RPDCs. A new warehouse was required to accommodate the growth of business. But I along with other key stockholders had introduced the concept of direct dispatches of Spare parts and accessories from suppliers to RPDCs (Regional Parts Distribution Centre) and eliminating the transfer of material from Mother Warehouse. Now there is no need for binning, storage and picking of parts at Mother Warehouse. We achieved the growth of 20% from same warehouse without increasing resources.
Designing Automatic Packing Machine: ED (Electro Deposit) Coated parts were being packed manually and peak capacity of packing was 6000 Parts in a day. There was a requirement of innovation to increase capacity to accommodate organic growth. I have designed and implemented an Auto Packing Machine to 4X the packing capacity. Now, we have a capacity to pack 24000 parts in a day.
Behaviour based Training through world renowned concepts (Ikigai, Success Journey, Comfort Zone etc) in local language: To sustain productivity, it is important that a team remains motivated. What better than having motivational messages visible to all employees throughout their work duration? Giving shape to this thought, I had designed large size wall murals (6 metres by 6 metres), which serves as the constant source of motivation for the whole team. These murals showcase facets of well known topics like “Tree of Life”, “Success Journey”, “Ikigai”, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”, “Circle of Concern/Circle of Influence”, and “Power of Teamwork”. All Murals have the content written in Hindi for better understanding and effectiveness. Behaviour based Trainings are being imparted to Warehouse Manpower with the help of these Murals.
There are two main innovations which I led for my current organization which not only helped to optimize the direct cost but also ensure that the drivers’ skill set is improved, and new skilled drivers are created while retaining the old drivers. First innovation was to automate the entire process with the help of Dedicated Control Tower, which is integrated with the fuel sensors, GPS and other devices and Apps, which gives us the real-time 360-degree visibility of fleet and drivers’ performance, helping us to keep the direct cost in control. The entire industry is working on fixed mileage (fuel allowance) with the drivers where the driver is responsible to deliver the cargo and take his salary by saving & stealing fuel. In SAMRX, fuel is monitored by fuel sensors and the driver is paid fixed salary and incentive based on his performance. Cases where drivers used to not earn due to no business have stopped and drivers are working as more responsible and professional employees. They also have a long-term commitment to the organization and job security, which results in a very low attrition rate and reduces the burden of recruitment. The second innovation is the Dedicated Driver App where the driver gets his attendance marked automatically and responsible to achieve his duty and other targets by inputting the information from load to delivery. The Driver App ensures monitoring of driver performance and completion of key tasks paperless through the driver app (Physical hard copies of Inspection checklists are devised in the driver App itself). We have even automated the submission of the POD (proof of delivery) through this App and now the driver can take and upload the copy of the POD through this App along with submission of his enroute expense receipts for payment. This resulted in faster sharing of data, timely payment to the drivers and huge savings for the company by ensuring proper monitoring with green operations.
I am deeply honored and grateful for the recognition bestowed upon myself and my team. This remarkable achievement truly reflects our unwavering dedication, relentless pursuit of excellence, and countless hours of hard work invested in our endeavors. While this moment of triumph holds great significance, it is essential to acknowledge that success should not be measured solely by external factors. Genuine success lies in the impact we create on the value we bring to our industry, and the positive change we inspire in the lives of others.
As a recipient of this prestigious award, I am committed to utilizing this honor as a catalyst to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs and emerging leaders. I firmly believe in the power of sharing experiences and lessons learned to uplift others and guide them on their own paths to success. Through open dialogue, mentorship, and support, we can foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
The motivation derived from recognition has long been absent in our industry, and it is truly gratifying to witness the emergence of a platform that acknowledges our hard work. We require more young entrepreneurs to step forward and propel this industry to new heights. The supply chain industry is already witnessing significant changes, and we are well aware of its future trajectory. Younger, more astute individuals will be better equipped to adapt swiftly to this evolving landscape. Let us embrace this as a stepping-stone towards even greater achievements, knowing that our dedication and commitment will continue to propel us forward.
One of the key projects I worked on during my stint with Asian Paints as Manager –Distribution was Full Truck delivery Optimization project. With consistently changing market environment, plants constantly face requirement to focus on increasing SKU range per truck dispatched to improve service level and order fill rate. This leads to deterioration in the full pallet dispatch and increased the effort and manhours required for loading per truck. There was a need to make this process more seamless where market can be served better while keeping plant efficiency parameters in check.
I got the opportunity to lead this project. We worked on this critical project to ensure critical product reaches the market in the earliest possible vehicle once produced. We wanted to automate the process so that everyday plant dispatches don’t become more cumbersome while allowing for the system to automatically pick critical materials for dispatch while optimizing SKUs picked per truck to ensure plant KPIs are not impacted. Asian Paints has more than 100 depots, 30+ manufacturing locations and every day new production scenarios are emerging, hence the scope for this transaction was immense. A big cross-functional team including plant material and dispatch teams, Supply Chain, OPCs, Regional warehousing teams and internal and external IT teams were involved in taking this project to completion.
We worked on developing this new transaction ZDELOPT in SAP to use critical SKU information basis the stockout and low stock information from the depots. The transaction was fed plant constraints including maximum SKUs to be loaded per truck and possible partial pallet loading possible at each location as master data. Based on the master data fed system understood plant constraints to ensure every truck every day is optimized to add SKUs based on requirement and ensure all types of materials are loaded to ensure no damages while optimizing number of SKUs to ensure plant loading time is not increased.
We went for a phase wise launch for this newly designed transaction first at conventional plants with more flexibility to handle the changes and then over the course of the year launched across other locations and then for all the automated plants. Step by step launch was done over the course of one year to reach coverage across all Asian Paints plants and RDCs.
Once full scaleup was reached, the new Transaction was used across all Asian Paints plants and Regional Distribution Centers with more than 400 trucks per day being dispatched every day using the new transaction. This improved OFR from 94 to 96% due to better prioritization of critical SKUs while dispatching trucks from the warehousing while maintaining number of SKUs per truck for the plants to deliver a win for all propositions. Some locations witnessed up to 10% reduction in SKUs per truck due to a much more balanced truck load mix.
Innovation life cycle management is a big challenge for every organization especially considering the cross functional movement of data and processes. With support of a 3P software development company and inputs from teams across the company developed and launched the Mantra tool. The tool could manage Volume projection approvals for new products; track every step of master data creation with auto triggers to stakeholders; Track the stock distribution at warehouse level vs the buildup plans and order movements and track the success of project against the launch plans. The tool revolutionized how the projects were tracked and brought every department together. It led to an 80% drop in master data creation timelines for projects and easier one click communication to every stakeholder in the organization to review the status of any projects, projects density across time/across brands or across vendors. Tool helped to create a data repository for multiple kind of data analysis.
As the largest producer of Aluminium in India, Vedanta exports Aluminium to over 50 countries across the six habitable continents. The freight however is different for each country from India, with highest freight being to the USA and the lowest to the Asian countries like Vietnam & Malaysia. The efforts of logistics teams go towards optimizing the total logistics cost, which is directly affecting the company’s premiums with the destinations and orders brought in by marketing team. Here’s an account of the team’s innovative strategy at play, which helped them identify the most feasible port to bring the vessels and minimize leakages as well as optimize total landed cost.
AS one of the largest Manufacturing plants & Exporters in India, Vedanta requires raw materials in the similar scale as which they produce Aluminium. The major raw materials for Aluminium production are Coal & Alumina. For Alumina specifically, the company has acquired Lanjigarh Alumina refinery to cater to its raw material requirement. But the production Alumina from our refinery is not yet completely operational and they are required to import Alumina from multiple countries. “We are importing Alumina on a quantum of over 1.5 million Metric Tonnes. The problem that we are facing for importing the same, is to plan out our imports considering all the variables like plant stock, port stock, Material available from local sources & port berth availability along with the cost implications. Given our plant location based towards the eastern side of the country, we have ports on Eastern Coast Line like Paradip, Gangavaram, Vizag, Kakinada etc., The selection of the port of discharge is the point to contend with which would be the most financially feasible for us, considering transportation costs and leakages involved,” highlighted Ashish Khilnani, Head Logistics, Vedanta Ltd.
The logistics team deals with multiple liners daily, negotiating & finalizing contracts to reduce the costs along with execution of the agreed volumes through the liners & vessels. One example of this is when the execution is towards European or Latin American destinations, the company prefers to do the shipments through bulk mode directly chartering vessel instead of container mode & liners, which directly impacts the financials of the company. “Our logistics cost numbers are always the best amongst the peers dealing in similar destinations. Even in market outlook suggesting the costs increasing in FY’23, our Q3 Cost is 56% lesser than that of Q1. We have reduced the costs dealing through long-term contracts & Spot contracts,” informed Ashish Khilnani.
The first challenge faced was the selection of port of discharge for Alumina shipments. For bringing in shipments, the company is already using Kakinada and Gangavaram ports. Gangavaram port is
the financially efficient port given the sea freight is lesser than that of Gangavaram port. So, they are using Kakinada port predominantly for berthing or chartered vessels carrying alumina. But that they are incurring leakages in the form of demurrage at the port. “When we bring a vessel at a given berth in a port, the vessel must arrive within a given period and unloading happens as per the contract. If the vessel gets delayed and unloading does not complete within the stipulated time frame as per contract, we incur demurrage to the vessel owner. This delay will then in turn rub off on the next 3 or 4 vessels that are planned after the delayed vessel to bring the timeline back to the planned one. Since we are importing such huge volumes, we are planning vessels continuously one after other. But another issue that has to be addressed is the total landed cost, which is still lower in the case of Kakinada port than that of Gangavaram, even when all the leakages are considered,” stated Ashish Khilnani.
Vedanta team was looking to identify the most feasible port for it to bring the vessel to minimize leakages as well as optimize total landed cost. “The primary constraint we had was the operational capability at Kakinada port where we could not handle any more than four vessels in a month. Secondary constraint is the cost involved in bringing the alumina to the port of discharge and then from port to plant. With these two primary constraints, we have looked at the feasibility of using Gangavaram port for more vessels, we are already bringing at least one vessel a month, but that solution was not financially viable. Then we started looking at bringing the vessel to alternate ports. Paradip, Gopalpur are the options in front of us given the locational advantage the two ports provide being in the same Odisha state as our plant. We have considered the secondary constraint for both the ports where cost of bringing the vessel and then the material from port to plant. Upon the feasibility study, we understood that Gopalpur is both operationally and financially viable than Paradip. But then the infrastructure is not completely ready with Gopalpur port. We had prepared a makeshift Alumina storage shed and taken the necessary approvals
for movement of Alumina to plant,” informed Ashish Khilnani.
After the feasibility studies, the team identified Gopalpur port as a suitable port from where they can bring Alumina vessels to berth. But there was pertinent issue of infrastructure not completely ready with Gopalpur port to handle volume of alumina. Unloading could be carried out, but the storage was an issue. The team had prepared a makeshift storage shed and planned the vessel to be brought to Gopalpur port. The Vessel berthed and they could unload the first vessel at the port. The team successfully moved the material by road from the port and that too without incurring any demurrages. Looking at the promising result, next month the team brought in another vessel at Gopalpur port, after having taken all the necessary approvals for movement of material through rail. “We had moved our material on our BTAP without any demurrages. We are planning one rake to Gopalpur and reducing the load on Kakinada port so that the operational ease is improved. We are using synergies through three ports for our Alumina imports. Until our refinery in Lanjigarh becomes completely active and capable of catering to 100% of our Alumina requirement, we can use these three ports to optimize our supply chain network,” mentioned Ashish Khilnani.
Upon the feasibility study, the team concluded that Gopalpur port is both operationally and financially viable. But then the infrastructure is not completely ready with Gopalpur port. To alleviate the issue, the team prepared a makeshift Alumina storage shed and took the necessary approvals for the movement of Alumina to plant.
With vast network of channel partners spread across the country, being catered from respective RDCs, across locations for their Deco vertical, there was a dire need for reduction in TAT for CenturyPly. The supply chain team came up with the idea of having a Central Distribution Center (CDC) to address all the possible issues related to TAT. Here’s how they achieved it…
CENTURYPLY has been the frontrunner in applying innovation at work. This simple philosophy has been the cornerstone of all its processes and technologies. It has led them to design and deliver contemporary lifestyle statements that have become synonymous with modern living. The company today is recognized as the largest seller of multi-use plywood and decorative veneers in the Indian organized plywood market.
CenturyPly laminate distribution network was direct from manufacturing plant to pan India distribution centers without having any central hub/ plant warehouse. This used to result in high inventory at warehouses with lower flexibility for managing demand fluctuations as replenishment lead time was high. Geographically spread across the country, from manufacturing plant
at single location, it was observed that TAT is on higher side, as this included, PLT + QLT + TLT.
• PLT – Plant Lead Time for production of material
• QLT – Queuing Lead Time for FTL quantity
• TLT – Transit Lead Time for in-transit time taken to reach the designated RDC location
Further spiralling effect of problem was there due to the number of SKUs, which is approximately 1000+ numbers and production requirement has been generated basis consumption of SKUs at different RDC locations.
With vast network of channel partners spread across the country, being catered from respective RDCs, across location for Deco vertical, it had become dire need for reduction in TAT. Increasing
competition in the markets across, triggered requirement of availability of material at different RDC locations in full against placed orders and added to the above mentioned cause. At the same time, space and size of the RDCs remain unchanged, as the same locations have been in use to cater to both peak and low requirements in the market. Furthermore, increasing space is a costly affair subject to management approval. Service Level is another tangent, which couldn’t be ignored at the same point in time.
Faster replenishment to different RDCs, from single manufacturing plant location can only be achieved, if TAT and/or components of TAT are lowered. Highest operational efficiency had been touched for the components of TAT and further scope of improvement for those seemed very bleak.
Consolidation of demand of different SKUs for production at plant in bulk/ large lot and single point of distribution from ready stock at plant seemed to be a step closer towards solution for addressing the challenges at hand. Current manufacturing plant was producing as per consumption of SKUs at different RDCs and didn’t have the provision to keep finished goods stock at the premise. It was decided by the team to build a Central Distribution Center at manufacturing plant to address the above mentioned issues. Firstly, an FG stocking location was identified with due approvals from management, then required system configuration was done in ERP and finished goods were stored in vertical racking.
The SCM team came up with the idea of having a Central Distribution Center (CDC) to address all the possible issues related to TAT. This resulted in the reduction in TAT from requirement generation to dispatch from plant, as it is now happening from ready stock of finished goods, instead of production and then dispatch. Over 55% reduction in KM run was achieved for DCs, which
used to get fed from RDC, and is now being catered from the plant directly. The company achieved 55% reduction in carbon emission and 45.6% reduction in cost due to direct feeding from plant for the DCs. The solution significantly improved sales as now TAT has been reduced and stock availability has gone up by 8%.
Cost to serve is an increasing challenge for all supply chain function to address. With a view to reduce the same, Century ply identified an innovative way to save cost and increase service level. The team identified a need / possibility of direct delivery from manufacturing plants to Dealer / project site. They were serving those orders in smaller load from regional warehouses in multiple deliveries, resulting in dual handling and higher freight costs as the dealers were not willing to invest in bulk purchases.
The SCM team worked out threshold value for share the saving with dealer
in case they lift higher load direct from plant. Success of this project majorly depends on the channel partners, as they have to place large lot of orders. Benefits, in terms of additional discount, have been passed on to the channel partners to make this project successful.
By encouraging direct delivery to channel partners from manufacturing plants, following have been aimed to achieve:
• Higher business volume with large lot of orders
• Economies of scale for freight by using higher capacity vehicles for dispatch
• Savings on other operational costs compared to delivery through secondary locations, e.g. Handling & Secondary Freight.
This project delivered excellent result and at present 30% of the volume is going directly to dealer, resulting in 4.3% annual supply chain cost saving and less handling direct dispatch is ensuring lesser TAT and chance of B&D.
With the aim of enhancing supply chain data quality, Elanco team conducted a series of brainstorming sessions, which was focused on two main aspects: data quality rule creation and the data quality improvement process. A data warehouse (Web-application integrated with data warehouse & Interactive dashboard) was established, leveraging SAP and Azure resources through the utilization of Delta live tables. Here’s presenting their success story…
ELANCO is an Animal Health organization, boasting an extensive portfolio of over 6800+ SKU-Market Combinations. With a widespread presence spanning manufacturing units and sales operations, both internally and externally, Elanco operates on a global scale. To ensure the integrity of critical data stored in SAP tables, maintaining
millions of entries across key dimensions, including accuracy, completeness, and integrity, is of utmost importance. Managing the vast supply chain master data entails overseeing hundreds of fields, each governed by specific rules and interdependencies. However, due to limitations in data quality monitoring options, it becomes challenging to identify and program all the necessary
rules. Consequently, the time and efforts required to conduct regular reviews of the data quality is significantly high.
Elanco follows the IPP (Innovation, Product & Portfolio) strategy, which encompasses a comprehensive approach in addressing the evolving needs of customers in the Animal Health landscape and delivering innovative solutions leveraging products, processes,
This project delivered excellent result and at present 30% of the volume is going directly to dealer, resulting in 4.3% annual supply chain cost saving.
and cutting-edge technologies to enhance animal well-being. One of the key successful transformation stories of Elanco supply chain team is Material Master Data Miner, a robust data quality management system. It's a unique and first of its kind ML based application, which not only measures the current quality but also helps to identify discrepancies based on the rules among them.
1. Unable to measure Data Quality and Identify Problematic Entries: Existing approach of relying on BO reports or manual analysis on local machines falls short in providing a comprehensive solution for assessing data quality. This approach not only lacks a holistic view but also demands significant time investments.
2. Limited Agility in Adapting to New Rules: The current process of creating and implementing rules in existing system is time-consuming. Given the importance of regularly evaluating data, a more agile approach is crucial to swiftly respond to new rules and requirements.
3. Absence of a Process to Rectify Data Entries Resulting from Knowledge Gaps: A notable gap exists in terms of a structured process for correcting data entries that are created due to a lack of knowledge regarding rule creation. This gap hinders the accuracy and reliability of the data.
4. Investigating New Rules and Relationships within a Vast Data Set: Manual detection of rules and relationships among data fields poses an enormous challenge for data stewards, given the exceptionally large volume of data. The complexity and scale make it nearly impossible to accomplish this task manually.
5. Lack of a Standardized Approach to Data Quality Improvement: Establishing a standardized approach encompassing dedicated functionalities, from data creation to rule creation and maintenance, is crucial for fostering continuous improvement in data quality. Such an approach would streamline the entire process and facilitate consistent enhancements in data quality throughout the organization.
With the aim of enhancing supply chain data quality, a series of brainstorming sessions were conducted involving industry experts and senior leadership, leading to the creation of user stories. The initiative focuses on two main aspects: data quality rule creation and the data quality improvement process.
A data warehouse was established, leveraging SAP and Azure resources through the utilization of Delta live tables. In Azure, components such as data bricks, storage containers, and data factory were implemented for rule creation by identifying relationships among data points. These resources were seamlessly integrated with a webbased frontend application equipped with features enabling the creation, modification, editing, activation, and deactivation of rules. ML metrics are employed to prioritize rules based on model validation metrics such as lift, support, and confidence, while also aiding in identifying outliers and understanding the relationships between data fields.
Users are empowered to define user-defined rules specific to tables and measure field quality, facilitating the correction of data entries. To gain insights over tables with poor data quality, and problematic data entries, a live Microsoft Power BI dashboard was implemented. Key performance indicators (KPIs) on the dashboard provide valuable information on dimensions such as accuracy, completeness, and integrity. The dashboard's outputs are used for establishing a data quality improvement process, enabling the creation of an
Master Data Miner is a unique ML based application, which not only measures the current quality, but also helps in identifying discrepancies based on the rules among them.
action plan. Data owners and stewards collaborate closely to rectify problematic entries, thereby improving overall data quality through a continuous improvement approach. Additionally, Ad-hoc periodical rule mining jobs can be scheduled using the frontend application. This comprehensive approach empowers Elanco to proactively address data quality concerns, ensure efficient decision-making, and drive continuous enhancements across their supply chain.
As mentioned above, Material master data miner application is developed with key features which helps in:
Creating new rules - Each network
team would have a network data steward (NDS) and data owners who is trained to run the rule mining engine to investigate new rules. These same people would have the ability to create user-defined rules. We would need to have governance overrule activation / change as what might seem like a great rule for one network might completely break another. The owner role would approve new rules / rule changes, ensuring they truly are written correctly and are suitable to apply globally. This helps us to create and implement new rules among data points and identify the outliers. The outliers can be analysed using PowerBl detailing why it is failed a particular rule and action plan to be developed. Rules can be activated/ deactivated/edited as per the data
owners’ / stewards’ requirements.
Driving Data Quality – As a continuous improvement initiative, network team would have an NDS who takes ownership for the failed records for their network / affiliates, works with the ‘owner’ to ensure these really are problem records (not a rule problem), and then works with their team to get them fixed. NDS/ owners will run the scheduled mining jobs on periodic basis on combinations of data fields or tables or merge multiple tables into one to investigate new rules and real-time outlier identification and data correction. Material master data quality is improved to 96% for the tables in-scope post implementation of the application.
Allcargo Supply Chain Pvt. Ltd. (ASCPL) team had the task of delivering optimization on costs and operations for one of India’s leading chemical manufacturers. They achieved this feat by analysing and increasing efficiency of crucial factors such as manpower, Opex, Capex and transportation network by ably integrating their in-house WMS with the customer’s SAP.
ONE of the biggest challenges of managing such largescale operations is efficient utilization of space and workforce within the warehouse. It requires meticulous planning to avoid any significant chunks of unutilized storage locations and at the same time, allowing ample flexibility to manage volume skewness, both forecasted and the unpredicted. It also includes employing just enough manpower to fulfil everyday KPIs and simultaneously being able to fulfil last minute volume surges. This was the key challenge ASCPL was looking to overcome. The space optimization challenge eventually led to further key operational requirements such as managing material received in mixed batches, allocate space for VAS services such as packing, labelling, stickering, challenges pertaining to manage inward and outward cut-off times, etc. Another key aspect to be looked at from optimization POV was transportation cost and network.
The first step towards an efficient operation is having WMS system that can talk to the customer’s ERP in realtime. Hence, the first step ASCPL team undertook was to introduce reliable in-house WMS software and get that integrated with the customer’s SAP. This resulted in increasing quick and effective decision making by providing realtime inventory visibility to customer, reducing the dependency on Data Entry Operators, faster allocation of orders from receipt to pick list handover. This
also helps in accurate location mapping and improving the picking accuracy. WMS enabled operation builds towards 100% accurate error-free picking. In addition, daily transaction and inventory report sharing helps customer plan next day orders and dispatches.
Introducing periodic inventory replenishment and consolidation activity was the next action point that enabled freeing up lots of underutilized operations space within the warehouse. WMS points to different locations which are having same SKU, and batch number products on such pallets is consolidated to eventually reduce the pallet space occupied by same SKUs. This eventually enabled freeing up critical ground space, which was in turn, utilized to conduct the value-added activities.
All these initiatives helped in creating more space inside the warehouse by going vertically high from G+3 to G+5 and G+6 racking heights. This was achieved by analysing the stacking height of similar fast-moving SKUs and clubbing them on same level. This enabled in optimizing the stack height per level and thus increasing the storage G+ levels. The capacity of the warehouse increased from approx. 2000 pallet positions to 5000 pallet positions.
The transportation cost was optimized by introducing dedicated transport coordinators to the warehouse operations’ scope. These coordinators,
on daily basis, analysed the delivery locations, weight and expected TAT time and basis this called the transporters to place the required vehicle and ensured they ply on the prescribed route only. This helped in reducing the number of vehicles required and ensured fuel savings.
“Using the above-mentioned systematic approach, ASCPL was ablet to deliver the value that customers expect when they align with us for the 3PL operations. We were able to deliver 100% stock accuracy to the customer continuously over a period. We were eventually able to bring down the warehousing and distribution cost of the customer by 28.5% by effectively maintaining the same throughput from the warehouse. At a later stage, we even delivered additional 10% increase in throughput in the same charges. The damages that plagued the operations during VAS activities effectively reduced to NIL. As a special appreciation from the customer, ASCPL team has been awarded by customer as “Best Warehouse Service Provider” measured on Operations, Safety, Sustainability, Social responsibility & Services for continuous two years now,” concluded Anubhav Srivastava, AGM –Business Development, ASCPL.
Our last year’s Exemplary Supply Chain winners have once again sustained their winning streak owing to their high innovative quotient and automation deployment. While there have been various success stories that make the company deserving of this accolade, here’s mentioning two of the most striking ones – Freight Cost Optimisation and Pick to Cart automation. Take a look…
The ASCPL team was able to bring down the warehousing and distribution cost of the customer by 28.5% by effectively maintaining the same throughput from the warehouse.
FREIGHT is a crucial part of every company’s supply chain management cost. Regular fuel and maintenance cost increase, salary increase, many budgetary pressures in several directions to control freight cost against freight budget 2022-2023, as a company reducing transportation logistics costs has always been the number one priority. Becoming much more flexible and adaptable in transport modes can really help in reducing freight cost. To ensure the same, operations team had taken help of lean initiatives and Kaizen. Ingram Micro team executed various projects to reduce freight cost, some of them are:
• Shipping consolidation of multiple invoices of smaller freight for same customer into single AWB to reduce / avoid minimum freight charges against each invoice.
• Consolidation of Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment is economical option for smaller weights consignment to FTL modes. Flexibility in choosing correct mode of freight between LTL and FTL modes results in reduction of freight cost.
• Multiple carrier options specialized Lane and geography not only provides better services but also helps in freight cost saving.
• Based on demand & load against each route for city deliveries, the team shifted from monthly fixed freight vehicle charges to Per Kg freight with same service TAT.
• Negotiations with each carrier in terms of controlling freight rates increase or no increase despite fuel rate increases.
All these initiatives not only resulted in improvement of customer deliveries TAT, they also led to freight saving of Rs14.92 million (US$188527) against forecast freight budgets without affecting customer service level.
Besides freight cost optimisation, Ingram Micro also has been laying immense thrust on deploying automation in its processes. For instance, during a normal order picking process, materials need to be picked as per pick ticket where the pickers need to go to the respective bin location mentioned in slip, pick the SKU in the desired quantity and bring the material to the billing station for QA, serial scanning, packaging & Invoicing. The company was facing in terms of higher order processing lead time due to limitation of billing station, ultimately resulting in productivity loss as one picker support was required for scanning against each billing station.
The team came up with Pick to Cart process, which supports Picking & QA and Serial scanning through handheld device directly at stock location, picking process through Cart movement having boxes pasted with LPN Label. With change in process, picker is able to pick the SKU allocated to the cart reflecting at
These initiatives not only resulted in improvement of customer deliveries TAT, they also led to freight saving of Rs14.92 million against forecast freight budgets without affecting customer service level.
the handled device, performs the quality check like verification of VPN mapped in system with physical VPN on boxes and does the picking of multiple pick tickets at the same time. This process has facilitated them in reducing order process lead time, increased productivity per person, improvement in fill rate in terms of Pick-slip / Cartoon / units per Cart, and there is a clear productivity visibility through Cart management Dashboard.
