The logistics sector must evolve from transactional transportation to become an enabler of resilient, agile and sustainable automotive ecosystems, providing integrated solutions, says Mr. Manoj Tripathi, CEO – TCI Supply Chain Solutions.
The automotive industry is entering a defining decade. Geopolitical realignments, accelerated electrification, pervasive digitalisation and rising sustainability expectations will together reshape global manufacturing and supply-chain ecosystems.
In the near term, supply-chain resilience has moved from operational concern to strategic priority. Manufacturers are diversifying sourcing, regionalising production and investing in end-to-end digital visibility to mitigate disruption from shifting trade corridors, sanctions, and regulatory changes. These actions reduce risk and shorten lead times, enabling faster response to demand shifts, he pointed out.
India is well positioned to benefit. The automotive sector supports roughly 30 million jobs and contributes significantly to GST collections, underpinning the government’s manufacturing-led growth agenda. Domestic vehicle sales and exports recently hit new highs, while EV registrations rose sharply in FY26, signalling rapid consumer acceptance of sustainable mobility. Looking to 2030, competitive advantage will flow to organisations delivering software-defined vehicles, AI-driven manufacturing, connected mobility, localised batteries and semiconductors, and digitally integrated, low-carbon supply chains with real-time predictive intelligence.
“For logistics providers, this is a strategic inflection point. The sector must evolve from transactional transportation to become an enabler of resilient, agile and sustainable automotive ecosystems, providing integrated solutions across inbound sourcing, just-in-time manufacturing feeds, battery and hazardous-goods handling, reverse logistics for batteries and aftermarket spares, and global export readiness. When logistics and manufacturing align on digital platforms and sustainability metrics, India’s aspiration to be a leading global automotive manufacturing hub becomes far more achievable,” he said.
Mission 2030
At TCI, Mission 2030 is calibrated to the structural transformation now reshaping India’s automotive sector. “As the industry accelerates localisation, digitalisation and sustainability, our objective is to develop future-ready logistics capabilities characterised by scale, technological depth, resilience and operational excellence.
Strategic priorities
Integrated multimodal capacity: expand contract logistics, multimodal transport corridors and advanced warehousing to support inbound manufacturing feeds, finished-vehicle distribution and aftermarket supply chains. TCI presently manages in excess of 17 million square feet of warehousing; we will scale capacity in a targeted manner to serve evolving production and export clusters.
Digital transformation: Institutionalise artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, predictive analytics and national digital platforms (for example, ULIP) to deliver comprehensive end-to-end visibility, predictive estimated times of arrival and optimised asset utilisation across complex multimodal networks.
Sustainability and regulatory alignment: accelerate modal shift to lower-carbon transport, deploy cleaner fleet technologies and operationalise carbon accounting through the Transportation Emission Measurement Tool (TEMT), developed in collaboration with IIM Bangalore and adopted by DPIIT, thereby enabling customers to accurately measure and progressively reduce logistics-related emissions.
Specialised service capabilities: establish certified battery and hazardous-goods handling facilities, develop robust reverse-logistics for electric-vehicle components, and scale high-velocity aftermarket fulfilment to address emerging mobility architectures.
Resilience and agility: regionalise inventory flows, diversify carrier and supplier portfolios, and adopt digital supply-chain twin capabilities for scenario planning and expedited recovery from disruptions.
Targeted Outcomes for 2030
Warehousing capacity: expand managed warehousing from the current footprint to meet demand in EV manufacturing clusters and export corridors.
Digital coverage: attain real-time visibility across a materially greater proportion of automotive lanes and reduce dwell times through predictive operations.
Carbon intensity: achieve a substantive reduction in logistics CO2 intensity per tonne-kilometre for automotive customers relative to a defined baseline, supported by TEMT-based reporting.
Certification and readiness: operationalise battery-handling certification across primary hubs and ensure readiness to execute reverse-logistics for leading OEMs.
Customer value: reduce total landed cost and inventory days for key OEM partners through integrated multimodal solutions and predictive replenishment mechanisms.
Execution Framework
Capital allocation: pursue selective asset investments where multimodal synergies and scale economics are demonstrable; employ partnership and contract models for complementary services.
Digital deployment: prioritise conversion of high-value pilots into scaled implementations, commencing with lanes exhibiting the greatest velocity and operational complexity.
Commercial alignment: integrate sustainability metrics within commercial frameworks and provide customers transparent reporting on emissions and trade-offs.
Capability development: build specialised operational protocols, talent and compliance frameworks for battery handling, hazardous-goods logistics and digital operations.
Stakeholder collaboration: engage proactively with policymakers, OEMs, port authorities and trade partners to facilitate infrastructure, trade-enablement and supply-chain readiness for critical components.
“Through Mission 2030, TCI will reaffirm its role as a strategic enabler of India’s automotive ambitions by delivering resilient, digitally-enabled and sustainable supply-chain solutions that generate enduring value for customers and the broader economy,” Mr. Tripathi added.
Competitive advantage will flow to organisations delivering software-defined vehicles, AI-driven manufacturing, connected mobility, localised batteries and semiconductors, and digitally integrated, low-carbon supply chains with real-time predictive intelligence.