Mr. P. C. Sharma started his career in TCI as trainee and currently heads TCI Express Ltd., which is India’s leading Multimodal Integrated Express and Supply Chain Solutions provider. He shares his thoughts below on TCI Express’ focus on E-Commerce, Operational Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction and impact of GST:

Q1) TCI Express has a key focus on E-Commerce and CV OEMs are also introducing new models to specially address demand from the same. How much does the e-commerce segment contribute to your business at the moment and how do you see that evolving going forward?

Mr. P. C. Sharma: E-commerce is one of the focus areas for us, currently, it contributes about 5% of our whole business. There is a huge opportunity in this segment. We are one of the leaders in express logistics and have ultimate last mile delivery reach. We are serving 3,500 pin codes with more than 40,000 Locations. Our entire operation is technology driven with the leverage of multi-modal logistics services. We are hoping in coming years we can see a decent growth of E-commerce in our whole business.

Q2) Your organisation mentions operational efficiency and digital infrastructure to be the key drivers for future growth. Could you shed more light on this?

Mr. P. C. Sharma: Yes! Operational efficiency and digital infrastructure is must for customer satisfaction and faster and smooth processing and delivery. Customer satisfaction requires transparent and economic logistics services. With the help of appropriate digital technologies and tools to manage complexities of logistics, we have greater opportunities to continuously create operational efficiencies and make a pool of satisfied customers.

Q3) TCI has been around for a long time, however, there is a growing trend of new age technology-driven logistics companies. How does TCI intend to beat the competition?

Mr. P. C. Sharma: It is our fortune to have such a great legacy of our parental organisation. TCI Express established in 1996, has the vision to become a leader in door-to-door express logistics player in India and worldwide that places customer satisfaction above all. Being an experienced logistics players we have honed our-self with advanced technologies and deep domain-expertise to offer customised solutions for express delivery.

Q4) GST, there is a way to go… before we can rest. What has changed in the logistics & transportation sector post GST implementation and will change in the near term (2 – 3years)?

Mr. P. C. Sharma: The implementation of GST has been a boon and a growth trigger for the express logistics industry as it has opened new forays for the organized sector as well as helped reduce the share of unorganized segment. The unification of various taxes involved in the transportation of goods and services has resulted in increased efficiency of business as a whole. It’s been seven months since the historic regime came into force and the impact of the new tax regime has been such that we have witnessed a change in the pattern of truck movement from full truckloads to express small part loads to ensure seamless transportation of goods. We are witnessing good movements and customers are shipping smaller packages direct to customers after the GST.

Q5) Lastly, it would be great if you could let us know what excites you to be a part of the upcoming Commercial Vehicle Forum 2018 (taking place on the 26 Apr 2018 at The Westin, Pune)?

Mr. P. C. Sharma: Yes, I am excited to be a part of this event. It is a great platform dedicated to the Commercial Vehicle Sector in India. It will be a good opportunity to interact with other industry experts.