DHL’s ‘SmarT’ approach to revolutionize logistics industry

Vikash Mohan, CEO, DHL SmarTrucking

DHL SmarTrucking focuses on adding value for businesses by leveraging their hybrid operating model, Internet of Things (IoT) and data-driven insights

Logistics is one of the mainstays of India’s economy. The sector is set to reach USD 215 billion by 2020, helped along by developments like the introduction of GST, growth in manufacturing, emergence of new industrial centres, and increase in the government’s focus on key infrastructure such as roadways, waterways and multi-modal logistics parks. Meanwhile, logistics companies are facing an era of unprecedented change as digitization takes hold, e-commerce transactions soar, and customer expectations continue to evolve.

In such a scenario, businesses across sectors are looking for quality logistics partners in order to stay ahead of the curve, as they battle for the consumers’ share of wallet and mind, and look to bringing efficiencies to their supply chains in order to add value and exceed customer expectations. As the primary channel of distribution in the country, road transportation is a key domain in need of organisation and digital transformation. DHL SmarTrucking operates on a hybrid driver model and leverages Internet of Things (IoT) technology and data-driven insights to ensure 95% on-time delivery, up to 50% shorter shipment transit times compared to traditional trucking, and to provide real-time visibility into consignments.

This is to help customers in sectors like pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, automotive, electronics, FMCG and consumer durables, including Lactalis India, VKL Seasoning, Rich Graviss, Singer India, JVS and many more, improve their bottomline. One of the few trucking companies in India to automate their operations end-to-end, the company has also achieved new internal benchmarks on SLAs month after month. “It has been a great year for us at DHL SmarTrucking,” said Vikash Mohan, Chief Executive Officer, DHL SmarTrucking India.

“We have been consistently focused on providing a strong, value-driven offering to our customers, with our operations teams working tirelessly to ensure that our customers’ goods reached their destinations on time and that they were continuously updated on the movement and condition of their shipments. We have also worked hard to extend support to our drivers, or SmarTruckers, to facilitate training and skilling through our Centre of Excellence, and through wellness initiatives. We are extremely grateful to our customers for their unwavering trust in us which drives us to do even better, and to our drivers and workforce for putting their best foot forward and helping DHL SmarTrucking achieve new milestones,” he added.

DHL SmarTrucking’s Centre of Excellence is a facility for the training and development of SmarTruckers to ensure that they can continuously provide high-quality service to customers, are able to stay safe while on the road, are optimally engaged with and committed to the organisation, and to promote good driving practices. Besides educating SmarTruckers on the various government initiatives that can benefit them, DHL SmarTrucking also conducts frequent yoga and meditation sessions at its hubs to help them relax and recharge themselves. At present DHL SmarTrucking has 2,100 SmarTruckers, with the aim of having 20,000-25,000 SmarTruckers by 2028 to cater to India’s burgeoning logistics demands.