The Marseille-based liner has added a string of four busy northern inland container depots (ICDs) to its ‘digital forwarding system’ that it had piloted at two northern India locations in April.
“Effective 3 October 2022, CMA CGM will be introducing the implementation of the digital forwarding note or Form-11 via the ODex platform in the ICDs of Ludhiana, Jodhpur, Kanpur and Jaipur,” CMA CGM Agencies India said in a trade advisory.
The company added, “For two weeks, manual forwarding note will also be issued parallelly so that users can familiarize themselves with the new process. Thereafter, respective ICD CMA appointed surveyor will accept only the digital forwarding note.”
ODex is a provider of export/import shipping documentation services. CMA CGM customers using the ICDs at Tughlakhabad (TKD) and at Dadri have already onboarded this digital platform. However, reefer shipments continue to be handled under the manual processing method, the company said.
The French carrier believes paperless transactions would significantly speed up the flow of railed cargo, as there is a growing, co-ordinated stakeholder push towards reducing high dependency on the traditional trucking mode.
Additionally, all major carriers serving Indian trades have been fielding more block train offerings as part of their broader integrator strategies and multi-modal contract arrangements.
In addition, CMA CGM (India) recently began using the tech platform MatchBox Exchange to provide empty container reuse/exchange solutions for its customers. Here, it is noted that stakeholders have an opportunity to optimise landside logistics and save on their costs with the elimination of needless container trips to empty storage yards.
CMA CGM is a leading operator of containerised ocean services to/from India, covering some 50 inland locations and offering more than a dozen weekly mainline services out of seven gateway and seven feeder ports.
Aiming to standardise data exchange processes and bring greater visibility across the supply chain, Indian logistics policymakers are also strongly encouraging transport stakeholders to move away from tedious, paper-based documentation towards digital solutions that drives value for trade.
New Delhi’s recently released new “national logistics policy (NLP)” reiterates that intent, as it called for standardisation of documentation processes and adoption of single-window systems under a “unified logistics interface platform (ULIP).”
“The focal push for digitisation through platforms like ULIP and E-LogS is crucial to support the designed ‘services improvement framework’ in improving regulatory inter-operability, standardisation of logistic processes and in bringing the entire multimodal network onto a single digital dashboard, enhancing visibility and transparency for all stakeholders,” said DP World Indian Subcontinent CEO, Rizwan Soomar.
“The suggested Services Improvement Group will significantly bolster coordination across governance frameworks to energise the logistics chains to contribute geometrically in the PM GATI Shakti National Master Plan, improving efficiency and reducing logistics costs,” he added.
Shashi Kiran Shetty, founder and chairman of Mumbai-based Allcargo Group, noted, “The launch of NLP is a visionary move by the government which will bring transparency through digital integration in addition to boosting speed and efficiency.” Shetty went on to say, “It will enable fast-paced logistics infrastructure development, better coordination among multiple stakeholders, simplify processes and documentation and boost last-mile connectivity.”
