CARGOCONNECT-APRIL2026 - Flipbook - Page 66
Panel 2
Creating Agile and Intelligently Aligned Chemical
Supply Chains
“From a logistics perspective, supply chain
optimisation and solutions design are becoming
key priorities. Rather than functioning only as
service providers, logistics organisations like
DACHSER are increasingly working alongside
customers to design more e昀케cient supply chain
networks. This includes identifying alternative routing strategies, addressing congestion
challenges at major ports and recommending
appropriate equipment and transportation
configurations. Traditional transactional
approaches based solely on cost competitiveness are gradually being replaced
by long-term partnerships that emphasise reliability, resilience and shared
problem-solving. Infrastructure development has also played a transformative
role in strengthening supply chain capabilities in India. For instance, warehouses
have evolved signi昀椀cantly from basic storage facilities to advanced Grade A
storage sheds that support integrated logistics operations. At the same time,
large-scale infrastructure developments across the country, including new
airports, green昀椀eld port projects, DFCs and expanded logistics connectivity
are strengthening India’s position as a competitive global supply chain hub.”
HUNED GANDHI, Managing Director– ASL – Indian Subcontinent,
DACHSER India (MODERATOR)
“In cases where one agricultural season underperforms, organisations often face challenges
related to excess inventory, shelf-life limitations
and storage constraints. One e昀昀ective approach
to managing this risk is to align formulation
activities closer to the demand season and adapt
production planning based on region-speci昀椀c
consumption patterns. For instance, in the case
of certain sand-based insecticide formulations
used across multiple crops such as rice and
sugarcane, long-distance transportation
across regions can be operationally complex and ine昀케cient. To address this,
organisations have established multiple regional manufacturing facilities
across the north, south, east and west of the country. This decentralised
production approach helps reduce logistics costs, supports just-in-time
availability and improves responsiveness to market demand. End-to-end
supply chain visibility is another essential enabler of agility. While many
organisations are still progressing toward full visibility, the future clearly
lies in digitalised control tower models that integrate information from
across the value chain into a single platform. Such systems create a single
source of truth that can be shared across stakeholders.”
DIPAK VYAS, Head– Supply Chain, India & Southwest Asia,
FMC Corporation
66 | CARGOCONNECT APRIL 2026
“While SOPs remain essential, they must
be designed with su昀케cient 昀氀exibility to
support dynamic objectives. Each team
member must clearly understand their
role in achieving organisational goals,
even when priorities shift unexpectedly.
In industry processes, such as chemicals
manufacturing, this alignment must
extend across procurement, production,
quality control, logistics and sales. For
example, production planning often follows
prede昀椀ned sequencing to optimise e昀케ciency across multiple product grades.
However, when market requirements change suddenly, organisations
must be able to adjust these sequences rapidly. Traditionally, S&OP cycles
were conducted monthly and aligned with medium- to long-term planning
horizons of three to twelve months. Today, however, frequent disruptions
require organisations to revisit and rerun S&OP cycles more frequently to
maintain alignment between demand signals and operational execution.
Maintaining agility also requires a shift in sourcing and inventory strategies.
Approaches such as JIT must be carefully balanced with the bene昀椀ts of
long-term contracts and supplier relationships.”
RAVINDRA GADRE, Chief Procurement Of昀椀cer & SCM, Apcotex Industries
“At the operational level, misalignment
between procurement, production and planning functions often creates ine昀케ciencies.
In many organisations, responsibility for
maintaining planning accuracy is distributed
across multiple functions without su昀케cient
coordination, which can lead to execution
gaps. Even Material Requirements Planning
(MRP) systems can produce inconsistent
outcomes if underlying assumptions, such
as transit times for raw materials, work-inprogress inventory and 昀椀nished goods are not de昀椀ned correctly. E昀昀ective S&OP
therefore becomes critical in bridging the gap between demand expectations
and supply capabilities. Planning should not remain the responsibility of a
single function but must involve the right cross-functional stakeholders to
ensure alignment across the organisation. Much of the planning challenge
lies in managing the gap between historical demand trends and future supply
realities. When this gap is not addressed e昀昀ectively, production plans may
become unrealistic, leading to ine昀케ciencies across the value chain. Strengthening
planning discipline and improving coordination across functions are therefore
essential for improving supply chain performance.”
ANJANI PRASAD, Regional VP and Global Head of Innovation (Dyes and
Speciality Chemicals), Archroma India
