Chirag Katira, Director, Shree Nashik Goods Transport (SNGT), shares his company’s core business elements that have made SNGT one of the most sought-after logistics services’ providers in the customised parcel and part-load logistics segment. Rajesh Rajgor has the details
Shree Nasik Goods Transport Co. (P) Ltd. (SNGT) is one of the leading transporters operating in Maharashtra and Gujarat since 1991. The company has more than 81 branches spread across these major business hubs, handling daily parcel and part-special load service on various routes of these two States. With their insistence on timely delivery, SNGT, according to Director Chirag Katira, has earned the tag of ‘King of Nasik’ and has been noted as a market leader in the road transport industry. “We have a dedicated fleet of over 184 owned and 250 contracted small and heavy vehicles for catering to small and bulk transport requirements. Adhering to the practice of high-quality standards, we replace our fleet every 3-4 years and all the vehicles are under an annual maintenance contract (AMC),” he adds.
It is quite a well-known fact that maintaining one’s own cargo and courier transporting fleet involves lot of investment while requiring a huge amount of maintenance. In such situations, it is always advisable to hire specialist and economical logistic companies to get immediate peace of mind. It is here that SNGT adds value to industries. Chirag explains: “Partial or part-load (PTL) shipment means your load takes space for a part of the truck. Many different goods from various industries are kept together in a truck and transported to different shipment locations or logistic centres.”
“In part-load booking facility, you need not pay the charges for part-truck load. You will pay only for your load capacity. During such a part-load shipping process, the shipment can be reloaded to another truck which will arrange for delivery to a consignee’s warehouse. We, at SNGT, offer express delivery and door-to-door logistics services at minimised cost, promising damage-free and timely delivery.” In order to navigate city traffic, the operator is also known to utilise small fleets like Bolero pick-ups in place of huge vehicles, especially for ‘same day’ delivery consignment,” he adds.
Technology at Play
In their bid to achieve total customer satisfaction, SNGT provides the required software for customers to track their parcels from the time they are booked till they are delivered. Serving over 16,000 customers, SNGT caters mostly to every industry, be it textile, perishable products, pharmaceutical, chemical, hardware, electronics, and almost about everything except hazardous materials. “We also do transportation of money and stamp papers since the Reserve Bank of India and Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd. are also our clients. Given the security concerns involved, we ensure hassle-free, easy and convenient options for customers to keep track of their goods through multiple modes like SMS, website and email,” informs Chirag.
The company has upped its use of technology in the last four to five years. SNGT has also invested also in mobile applications. Now, loading and unloading of consignments can be done through a phone application just by scanning the QR code. Elaborates Chirag: “We don’t need any extra machine at the points of loading and unloading and plus we use ERP software that gives us live updates of loading and dispatch. This also helps us to arrange trucks as per loads and destinations. The mobile application also provides the option of booking and dispatch of material. Thus, through the mobile phone we can understand where a vehicle is required and needs to be placed. It is so handy that this application has already replaced 30 per cent of our desktop work.”
Additionally, the use of ERP has now made managing vehicles branches really easy. For complaints, SNGT uses Google Sheets, divided into permanent and temporary complaints. The company also uses a Business Acquired Sheet, where data of all branches is collected by the regional manager to generate reports so that necessary steps can be taken to improve business performance. “We create an online account for our customers and give them access where they can track their parcel and view the status of consignment, payment details, billing details, ledger and download their POD – all this to ensure accuracy and transparency,” explains Chirag.
Drivers at the Core
Irrespective of the processes implemented, the key to a successful logistics’ business is a pool of efficient and trustworthy drivers. The life of a trucker is far from an easy one. Unscheduled working hours, harassment from the police, RTO authorities and local groups doesn’t provide for a very attractive lifestyle for Indian truck drivers. “At SNGT, our driver is as good as an owner,” says Chirag, adding: “We have helped in changing the life of 250 truck drivers by transforming them into truck owners through financial support and other means. We also motivate them by providing them certain amount of fixed business every year, thus encouraging them to grow on their own and achieve their dreams.”
SNGT also conducts driver training camps every six months. “We provide them insurance, scholarships for their children, etc. Also, every hub and branch of SNGT has proper sanitation facility and rest cubicles for drivers. For us, drivers are our main heroes who are actually running the show; we are merely managing it,” he reiterates. SNGT’s social responsibility doesn’t just end here. Chirag also is Managing Committee Member of the Bombay Goods Transport Association and General Secretary of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC). He, along with Bal Malkit Singh and other office-bearers, initiated tax waivers for all commercial vehicles during the lockdown.
With the concerted efforts of the team of AIMTC, the rebate on tax for commercial vehicles has been initiated in Maharashtra. “We kick-started many programmes for drivers stranded at various places all over India during the lockdown and urged people to facilitate them with food, sanitation and proper Corona virus-related protection and care. We have also worked on simplification of the online permission for ODC movement and for online payments. Other aspects like removals of check-posts in the State for enhancing the ease of doing business and providing parking and basic amenities to drivers on highways have also been taken into consideration,” informs Chirag.
A Family Matter
SNGT was started in 1991 by five brothers – Rajesh, Mahesh, Jagdish, Bhagwan and Lalit. A few years later when their children decided to join the family business, namely, Chirag, Naitik, Dhaval, Bhavin and Harsh, they all learned the tricks of the trade by working under the guidance of their respective uncles. “Besides us 10 members we have another 22 family relatives working in the company. While no son is allowed to train or work under his father, each son is trained under one of the uncles and he reports to him. At the same time, no father and son can share the same office space. The rationale behind this is that the family believes that the sons will be moulded to respect their uncles as much as they respect their father,” Chirag informs. It was a challenge – five seniors who started the business with a strong foundation and the addition of five youngsters – each having their own thought processes and ideas for growth.
However, the vision and passion for transport that each one of them shares is what binds them together. So far, the company has been on a growth path, on an upward spiral consistently. “We are an Rs. 96 crores company and aim to maintain steady double-digit growth. With this ambition, we have diversified into other fields – some of which are related to logistics as well – such as warehousing, cargo cabs and courier, while the other is construction,” Chirag informs. The company has more than 2,50,000 sq. feet of warehousing space in varied locations such as Viholi, Ozar, Nashik, Vapi, Baroda and Ahmedabad. The huge warehouses are covered by RCC and loading happens 3 feet above the ground, which not only keeps the goods safe, but also makes loading and unloading efficient.