IWS 2017: Now upgraded and all-embracing

The 7th edition of India Warehousing Show (IWS) covered every facet of the warehousing and supply chain industry. speaks to veterans about how IWS has become an important part of their business and talks about the impact of the recently-introduced GST reg

We are seeing a good momentum and the industry is going through a positive transition. GST holds a good future for the storage industry because warehousing is going to be the most beneficial sector now. There are many opportunities ahead. We have faced few challenges but this is because it is a new revolutionary change in the country and it will get solved over a period of time.

The IWS has enhanced its performance in terms of number of exhibitors as compared to last year. The footfall was also good at the show. Nimesh Karelia Managing Director Jay Equipment & Systems We have got excellent response from the show. At this platform, we had presented our innovations and people have also appreciated the concept. Post GST, the logistics industry will certainly move leaps and bounds. Warehouse consolidation plays a crucial role in the growth of the industry. We have launched our new innovation, virtual warehouses, in the seventh edition of IWS. With this, our customers can go anywhere with a part of their warehouse and can store goods in these virtual warehouses.This will help reduce their warehousing cost to approximately 40-50 per cent because not only are the rentals low but the operating cost is also lessened.

Sandeep Wadhwa CEO Agarwal Packers & Movers Logistic Solution The initial impact of GST is over now and the industry has started picking up. We haven’t faced challenges as such after GST because the rates the government has given are more or less the same. Previously, the rate was around 25 per cent and now it has come down to18 per cent. The tax hasn’t made much impact and in the future also, the situation should not be too hard on us. The IWS team has done its homework well with regard to customers and consultants. We were able to interact with the right kind of customers at the exhibition.

Sudhir Kumar Jaini MMS Director Divine Thermal Wrap We have been associated with IWS ever since its inception. This being the seventh year of the show, our association has grown manifold since our debut seven years ago. We are now known as a brand in the warehousing space. A turnaround in the industry is expected after the introduction of the GST regime. The consolidation of warehouses from four states to one state will benefit the industry in a big way. Like with everything new, we too have faced a number of challenges with a change in the tax regime. However, I’m postive that this will help bring about a bigger and better space for growth in the warehousing sector.Rajendra Singh Chauhan Managing Director Shalimar Warehousing Corporation The introduction of GST regime in our country’s tax structure is a landmark concept in itself and I reckon that in the next three to four years, it is going to provide a huge boost to the organised warehousing sector. As a warehousing developer, we look at this new change as a huge opportunity for us and are making sure that we are tapping the right opportunity at the right time. We are also continuously on an expansion spree and we look at this as a welcome move.

IWS is a good platform to provide visibility and it does so not just for the large companies but also for medium and small enterprises, which need it the most. I would like to point out that there should be more events like this to help small and medium companies get more visibility. R Vignesh Director Shri Kailash Industrial & Logistics Park It has been a good show so far. Understanding the importance of right location and safety issues, we have launched a location system here and also showcased some of our important products.We have got a great response as well. With GST, there is a huge amount of optimism in the industry at the manufacturing level and this is definitely going to help the logistics industry. Post GST, consolidation is going to happen in terms of smaller warehouses being consolidated into larger ones. We are excited about this because this would result in an increased need for technology to manage these warehouses. Ajay Bhutani CEO BCIL GST was the most awaited thing to happen in India. This tax was badly needed to eliminate cascading effects of taxation. Post GST, when most of the warehouses will get clubbed in the larger area, they will become more tech-savvy for material handling. This will improve efficiency because there will be less labour with efficient flow of goods. In terms of challenges, there were some delays in the acceptance of the GST model, but this was just a matter of time.

IWS is a good platform to be seen by the stakeholders of the supply chain and to meet with potential customers. Suunil Dabral Managing Director & Executive Director-India Schaefer Systems International GST will simplify things and we are already seeing a positive impact, especially for large e-retailers. Even though people knew about the tax implementation in July, there were several apprehensions as to whether or not it would be implemented in the correct way, what the rates would be, etc. There will be issues initially, but most of the organised sector is not facing much of a problem at all. However, for the infrastructure sector, rates could have been reduced a bit, at least for the first couple of years. However, till the time the rates are common for everyone, the rate itself is not of much relevance.

IWS needs to reach out to the actual consumer, which is not happening enough; the visitor profile also needs to improve. I did see better participation this time, which means we are moving in the right direction. Ankur Bedi Director - Business Development & Projects Cold Steel Corporation Post GST, we are looking for consolidation of a number of big companies and bigger warehouses. There is lot of scope as facilities are coming together; more automation will be required and we are already equipped for this situation. As a result of the distributed warehouses in the existing scenario, the automation level could not happen to the extent it was required; the investments were also less. Now, we are seeing that all these companies are talking about big investments in warehousing and this makes us look forward to bigger opportunities for our business. This show is a great platform to showcase our product and to meet an assortment of important people under one roof.

Shrikant Wagh Director Marketing Armstrong Machine Builders

IWS has become a very important platform to showcase our strength and how Gandhi Automation can simplify its process of logistics parks. As far as GST is concerned, it is still a question not only for logistics but every other industry as well. We haven’t completely understood the pattern of GST, yet. However, we are complying with the norms the government has set. And, so far as impact of GST is concerned, if my customer is getting some incentives out of this tax regime, it is definitely good for us. We are optimistic about GST and happy about the way the government has weaved the pattern with the launch of various initiatives. With such initiatives, the government has given lot of rebate to Indian manufacturers in the form of ease of doing business. Poorwal Oak Marketing & Sales Promotion Manager Gandhi Automations Implementation of GST has definitely created a panic situation in the market but now the market is gearing up. Even after 15 days, we are getting a good response from the customers. We are hoping it to be in a positive manner only. This edition of IWS saw good footfall and we are expecting a lot of interactions to be converted into good deals. Gangesh K Mishra Head - 3PL Business Innovative Logistics It is very important for warehouses to have good flooring and our core competency is to design the floor as per the requirement of different warehouses be it cold storages, heavy-loaded warehouses, super flat floors, etc., with different properties. At IWS, we have found several investors from different locations with their different requirements of floors. It’s a platform to get to know about contractors, logistics parks and exhibitors who can be our potential business partners. Abhishek Bansal Regional Manager - Building Products, North Bekaert Warehousing is one of our key verticals. Post GST, there are hiccups in the market that the customers and distributors are facing because I feel the market is not yet ready for GST. For us, there has been a slump in the market because our distributors and even partners are facing challenges in streamlining their processes. Channel growth has been affected but not industrial growth. The tax has benefited us because Honeywell imports products from Singapore and China due to which we were paying more import duty, which exceeded 20 per cent. With GST, it is now only 18 per cent. Hence, our products are now cheaper than what we were earlier selling them at. Paresh Kumar Sharma Manager Solution Architect Honeywell Safety & Productivity Solutions