BOXCO discovered the strength, bonds and resilience of its functional teams, with their commitment to continue delivering its mandate to the industry in spite of the lockdown conditions. Every single exemption from the lockdown was utilized in full. All facilities were used to ensure that BOXCO kept moving, safely, steadily and in compliance with all guidelines, when most of the other players appeared to be paralyzed. The times were such that the operating guidelines during the initial stages of the pandemic were not clear and often in conflict with each other. It was here that the excellent communications between the disparate functional teams all over the country and the leadership at BOXCO helped keep everyone informed and provided clarity. Requests for permissions were drafted with documentary evidence. Approvals to operate, by whatever name they are called, were obtained from various government authorities throughout the country. BOXCO's clearance teams were among the first to approach customs offices and the jurisdictional police stations for essential duty passes.

Big cargo and bulk cargo, or for that matter, any cargo, cannot move on permissions alone. The lockdown demonstrated the deep commitment to service delivery throughout the organization. Personnel were there, wherever and whenever needed, from the almost vacant south Mumbai offices, where clearances were issued, to the port railway yards of Kandla, which were full of wagons and bulk cargo but short on labour.

Assignments were executed without any delay. Valuable over-dimensional project cargoes were delivered safely and on time during the thick of the lockdown to project sites at Bhatinda, Punjab and elsewhere for our marquee clientele.

Because of our strengths, our solution-focused mindset and the foresight of our leadership, we remained proactive and continued delivering to our clients during the lockdown. All statutory permissions, compliances and measures to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our crews and executives on the job were taken, and nothing was left to chance.

However, the proof of the pudding is in its eating!

Here's a snapshot of our work at some locations during the lockdown.

From March 2020 to June 2020, BOXCO handled exports of 3.5 lakh MT of sugar over 18 vessels.

Loading of raw sugar in bulk at Kandla Port

Loading of raw sugar in bulk at Kandla Port

We are proud to have won the appreciation of our customers in the sugar industry for having supported them in these difficult times with these commercially important movements.

From April 2020 to June 2020, BOXCO handled exports of 2.3 lakh MT of steel. During May and June 2020, BOXCO handled three full ships of fertilizer imports with a cumulative volume of 1.25 lakh MT and dispatched around 80,000 MT, constituting no less than 30 railway rakes, to various consumption centres.

Loading Steel plates at PICT, Paradip

Loading Steel Billets at PICT, Paradip

We handled four vessels with total import volume of 2.8 lakh MT and one vessel with 54,000 MT of dolomite import. We dispatched 1.84 lakh MT over 48 railway rakes of essential raw materials to our customers to keep their plants running during the lockdown.

Unloading limestone at Chennai Port

Unloading limestone at Chennai Port

The Chennai team, in fact, achieved its best with the dispatch of three full rakes in a single day during this period!

BOXCO played Hercules during the lockdown for approximately Rs 20,000 crore prestigious greenfield petrochemical complex. BOXCO deployed 56 Goldhofer axles and two power packs from its fleet, and its trained and committed crews were in full action during the period. Its services were utilized by four of the top suppliers to the project.

Its accomplishments during the pandemic included the delivery of many ODC packages: reactors, columns, tanks and vessels. The movements were not only across national and state highways but also occasionally off-road and within tight factory confines and compounds. Moreover, everything needed the right permissions, the right equipment and the right skills, which BOXCO had ready and available during the lockdown.

42 m (L) × 8 m (W) × 7 m (H), 190 MT, on 24 SPMTs

40 m (L) × 9.5 m (W) × 11 m (H), 621 MT, on 48 SPMTs

21 m (L) × 10 m (W)× 8 m (H), 233 MT

Due to the pandemic, our teams were forced to organize tasks using some simple online systems, which gave us some unexpected benefits, apartfrom ensuring continued operations during the lockdown. The increased efficiency of staff deployments, the reduction in the use of stationery and the forced cessation of unnecessary travel due to the lockdown significantly reduced our overheads while maintaining our high standards of service. Ensuring that information was transparent and easily accessible from a common place to all process owners within BOXCO and to all clients enabled better decision-making. When the lockdown was extended, the functionality that was invented on the go became more consistent and the new normal way of organizing our work.

Information technology is set to usher in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. For logistics companies, the contours of this revolution have appeared on the horizon. The advantages of digitalizing all processes and tasks are readily apparent. Only the most competent and aware organizations will ride the Tsunami of changes and exploit the opportunities of digitalization. At least in this context, the more things change, the more they stay the same! Successful digitalization increases our core competence and vice versa, creating a positive feedback cycle. BOXCO, once again, is at the forefront of learning, evaluating and doing digitalization effectively, in a way that brings value to all.

The pandemic continues to be a challenge. However, it is a matter of pride and satisfaction that at BOXCO, we played our small role in the fight by keeping the wheels of the economy moving. We must continually learn and grow, so that we can leapfrog into the increasingly digital world of work. We need to raise our game and our value proposition for our lifeblood: our customers and all our other stakeholders!