CARGOCONNECT-APRIL2025 - Flipbook - Page 69
CHEMCONNECT 2025
“As supply chain professionals, we are caught
between the agendas of our
suppliers and customers.
Therefore, collaboration
with suppliers is key. The
days of dictating terms to
suppliers are over. Now, it's
about building partnerships.
We must work alongside our
suppliers, understand their
needs, and find mutually beneficial solutions that lead to long-term
sustainability. For instance, in Bangalore, we have deployed seven EV
vehicles to serve our nine branch locations across the city. This move
has allowed us to save approximately 7% of our freight costs while
being more sustainable. The focus on ESG is growing, and with that
comes an increasing need for transparency in operations. Companies
are not only expected to be sustainable but also to be transparent
in their practices. We must build visibility into our processes and
openly communicate our actions to customers, stakeholders, and the
public. This transparency will be crucial as we face more challenges
in implementing ESG standards.”
SUBODH NAGARSEKAR, VP– Procurement and Supply Chain,
Rentokil Initial
“A key challenge is dependency
on input chemicals. A large
portion of the chemicals we
need for manufacturing still
have to be imported, particularly from China and other
countries. To truly progress,
India must become more selfsu昀케cient by locally producing
these key input chemicals.
Practically, the chemical supply chain has a unique set of challenges. Chemical manufacturing remains
highly dependent on global markets. For example, specialty chemicals
often rely on petrochemicals, and changes in global industries—such
as the shift toward electrification—could impact the availability of
these essential by-products. If global electri昀椀cation trends reduce the
exploration of petrochemicals, it will directly a昀昀ect the chemical supply
chain. Additionally, people and talent pose another signi昀椀cant challenge.
While there's a strong focus on digitalisation and technology adoption, the
success of these initiatives depends on the availability of skilled workers
who can e昀昀ectively absorb and implement new process modelling.”
VISWANATHAN RAJAMANICKAM, Head– CSX Excellence –
IMEA and Head CSX FO- India, Henkel
“One of the key advancements we've implemented
to enhance our processes is
the use of IoT-based sensors
within our infrastructure. This
level of monitoring is essential
to provide con昀椀dence in the
昀椀nal product. To manage risks
during transportation, we now
rely on GPS-based tools and
have established a collaborative control tower with our business partners. These systems allow us
to track the journeys of multiple tankers across various regions. The
control tower also sends alerts if any deviations occur, such as delays
or unauthorised stops along the journey. Emerging technologies like
geofencing and security seals are further enhancing the security and
monitoring of our logistics operations. For instance, RFID-enabled seals or
geotagged seals only unlock at the designated plant premises. If tampered
with, these seals trigger an alert, increasing security during transport.
On the storage side, with the integration of sensors and AI algorithms,
we are able to monitor the health of each chemical tank in real-time.”
SOMAK CHAKRABORTY, Associate GM– Purchase, Asian Paints
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