Page 62 - TrafficInfratech Magazine Feb - Mar 2020

LOGISTICS

Need for Skill development in Logistics

espite the growth potential
and its impact on the overall
economy of the country,
Logistics and supply chain
Dmanagement in India
continues to grapple with lack of skilled
workforce. While the sector has undergone
a considerable transformation in the past
decade, the quality of human resource in
this labour intensive sector has remained
stagnant. However, factors like technology
advancements using IoT, AI and automation,
coupled with the rise in international trade
opportunities, have been pushing the
formerly unorganised sector to adopt certain
uniform standards of operations and service.
The National Skill Development Corporation these perishable items. Many times, despite Green Logistics: Another emerging trend
(NSDC), has identified Logistics and Transport state of the art infrastructure, 3PL, and 4PL in logistics and supply chain management is
logistics, service providers fail to deliver Green logistics. Considering that logistics
results due to the inefficiencies of the has largely been an unorganised sector,
ground staff. An urgent need for sensitising dominated by labour intensive workforce,
the staff about the significance of efficient the task of breaking a mindless habit and
handling, storage, and transportation of method of doing things over the years, is a
these temperature sensitive goods. difficult endeavour. Educating and training
Reverse Logistics: As a modern concept, the manpower to adopt and follow Green
reverse logistics was largely introduced by Practices requires a lot of unlearning and
the advent of e-tail or online retail and has re-learning of processes. As an increasing
been marred with various challenges. While number of international brands and logistics
large organised players have streamlined the service providers resort to Green Processes,
process so as to drive customer delight in lack of a skilled workforce to match up with
the face of competition, the concept largely these trends could mean loss of business and
remains alien for a vast number of B2C reputation.
logistic service providers. Soft skills and polite
as a priority sector for bridging the demand customer interactions are vital points to be Smart Transportation: With the advent
supply gap in the industry. Aditya Vazirani, included in training the manpower. of greener supply chain innovations,
CEO Robinsons Global Logistics Solutions, technology like IoT, GPS tracking for vehicles
lists here key areas that are in urgent need Warehouse Management: From and driverless vehicles seem to be adoptable
for skill development: effective warehouse layout, methodical practices in a not so distant future. With
storage, handling as well as inventory
Cold Chain Management: Over the management and value added services the advent of organised logistics, cost-
past few years Temperature controlled offered across warehouses, it is extremely saving methods like consolidation of cargo/
storage and transportation has evolved to important to have a work force that is not shipments, paperless documentation and
be a massive part of the overall logistics only well trained but also knowledgeable on time delivery etc, have been instrumental
and supply chain sector. E-commerce, about the nature of products stored and in creating an efficient transportation
online grocery stores and e-pharmacies their life cycle. While most people believe ecosystem for logistics. The management
have further pushed for streamlining the the introduction of warehouse automation and planning in routes, monitoring fuel
sector also. While technology interventions is an answer to address inefficiency in efficiency and creating an ecosystem to
have made this possible, the ground staff labour, there still remains a need for monitor and supervise the transportation
still lacks understanding of processes and manpower that can handle, supervise, and aspect of logistics are becoming part of
the significance of accurately handling manage the automation. best practices.

62 February-March 2020 / TrafficInfraTech www.trafficinfratech-com-500653.hostingersite.com