Q&A with ChAirmAn Kishore LAKhAni
How important is the Indu Logistics component to Indu Group in terms of overall size and growth?
Over the past years, the Logistics division of Indu Group has grown significantly and is now one of the key players in the logistics industry that offers various warehousing solutions, including chemical logistics and warehousing. Indu Logistics now has almost 900,000 square feet of warehousing space and plans to hit its one million milestone this year. Through this platform, the trading and distribution division has availed an advantage by offering clients multiple solutions through an in-house logistics entity.
The group also has a retail and distribution division based out of East Africa where they distribute travel retail products around Africa. Both entities — logistics and distribution companies — work hand-in-hand by providing the necessary support and platform to enhance and widen operations. What is the status of Indu Logistics in the Middle East?
We have seen significant growth year-on-year and are now making a conscious effort to expand geographically. By observing the flow of volume movement through our facilities, we appreciate the advantage of being located in this strategic part of the world and plan to make use of this. Are you satisfied that health, safety and environment (HSE) standards are adequately met at Indu when providing chemical storage and transportation services? Could you please tell us your opinion about HSE in general and at Indu?
Safety towards the environment and people have been the utmost deciding factor on various decisions that the company has taken in the past few years when it comes to chemical logistics. We have managed to break down each warehouse activity with a detailed system flow to ensure an operating procedure is followed, and each activity is not only handled with supervised care, but also necessary precautions are taken at all times. Our on-site HSE manager is responsible for ensuring that each employee in the facility is trained and certified and that there is enough protective equipment spread around the facility, which are also equipped with fire-fighting systems that have been installed based on the types of chemicals we store. What in your opinion is the outlook for the logistics industry in the coming five years? How is Indu Group and Indu logistics preparing to meet the challenges of this period?
We are in a fast-growing economy, and the services industry including logistics, is definitely in demand for 2020 and beyond. Factors such as rising costs, soaring volumes, increase in competition, do make it challenging to grow at the rate and direction we want to, but at the end of the day these factors also keep us moving forward.