Warehousing and logistics are crucial factors for companies to gain a competitive edge. With the advent of modern manufacturing, which combines smart and effective products with advanced and innovative technologies, the very definition of warehousing and logistics has evolved to a much larger and integral concept.

With the projected growth in the Indian economy and altering business perspectives, the logistics and manufacturing sectors have moved beyond the rudimentary transportation of trade goods in the supply chain. The solutions include an about-face in the utilization of warehousing to drive business profits.

The dynamic shift between manufacturing and warehousing

Warehousing has evolved in its role in the active supply chain. The volume of the entire warehouse sector has been pegged at a value of US $7.8 billion with the exponential growth of 10% annually. With manufacturing as the key pillar in the supply chain, it is also responsible for driving the warehousing industry. 

According to a report released by Knight Frank, in FY19 alone there has been a spike of 77% in warehouse leasing. Businesses are now taking yet another strategic step to drive profits through leasing warehouses to store the goods, thereby contributing to a major shift in the manufacturing leg of the supply chain.

Customized Warehousing

Warehousing has been utilized by manufacturing companies to manage their inventory and storage needs since its inception successfully. In the current supply chain and retail scenario, warehouses utilization isn’t limited to being ‘just a traditional storage room.’ Warehouses today have evolved and double up as kitting and assembly hubs, contributing significantly in today’s competitive retail scenario. 

Furthermore, with e-commerce players expanding their operations to meet the growing demands of the consumer, the need for warehouses has increased. There has been a sharp increase in warehouse occupancy in both, tier I and II markets, especially in states like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

Customized warehouses have allowed companies to speed up their delivery and assembly processes while investing lower capital on the core manufacturing process. With the introduction of warehouse automation, operations like picking, warehouse robots, barcode labels, and other technology-infused developments have allowed companies to cut manufacturing time and reduce expenses. It has also provided opportunities to reach out to compete at a global level by expanding to countries like the US, China, and others.

Modern warehousing software has developed effective techniques, reduced the need for high-cost labor, and operational expenses while fulfilling customer needs. Some parts of manufacturing processes which were earlier performed in the company-specific plants like assembling parts are now possible through evolved warehousing utilization. 

Modern Supply Chain

The evolution of the traditional supply chain ecosystem in India has been possible owing to customized warehousing developments. According to Make in India’s database, the country’s rank has gone up from 54 in 2014 to 44 in 2018 in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI), relating to the overall logistics performance. With a current valuation of US $160, the sector is expected to be valued at US $215bn in the next two years. Modern manufacturing doesn’t terminate when the products reach the warehouse. Storing, production, packing and shipping across different distribution channels with on-time delivery complete the supply chain.

Modern logistics and supply chain has complemented the manufacturing process by handling the operations which would have made the manufacturing process complicated and complex. By adding value to process right from the ‘Point of origin’ (managing the flow of raw materials) to ‘Point of consumption’ (managing the packaging, transportation, and delivery), logistics has defined what modern manufacturing is today. 

Final Words:

The evolution in traditional warehousing powered by technology is not only impacting logistics but the supply chain as a whole. The retail market in India has revolutionized in time. With more companies entering the retail market, businesses have to invest more in processes that are cost-effective to produce results better than their competitors. Customized warehousing and logistics have allowed companies to invigorate their manufacturing process and make it more robust. 

Furthermore, with the exponential increase in international trade, the modern supply chain processes are positively disrupting the global economy and reach. By complementing the end-to-end manufacturing process, it has impacted businesses at the very core with a promising vision for the future. 

(The author is CEO, Robinsons Global Logistics Solutions)

Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow. Never lose the passion and the love for what you do. One such Interior and product designer based out in Hyderabad is a 27-year old champ named Mr. Raja Abhishek Reddy. He has done his Bachelors and Masters in Interior and Product Design from Italy.

He was an engineering student. But he never was willing to get into a 9 to 5 job in a software company. Hence he decided to follow his passion which he had for Design.

After finishing his studies in Italy he started working with good Italian companies in Milan and Florence where he was able to strengthen his knowledge and gain experience through freelancing.

Later by the end of 2018 he decided to get back to India and decided to work as a full-time freelance designer and he is fortunate enough to work on various projects from different parts of the world and now one of his on-going projects is from Hyderabad.

His early age passion for Art and design has bought him in such a prestigious place wherein he works according to his interests and is free to try something innovative and creative each day.

It is said that “Technology is a good servant but a bad master.” It takes a vision to understand this saying. The Internet can be a boon as well as a curse, depends on the usage of the same. YouTube is a website where people can share videos and generate subscribers for the same. They can not only share, but they can also upload, view, comment, rate, and many more other features enhance this website. Having said that, being a digital marketer would be like a cherry on the cake for an aspiring YouTuber.

Gaurav Dixit, a young aspiring YouTuber and a digital marketer, also famous as the owner of the YouTube channel VIRAL DUNIA.  It feels incredible when the people at a very young age, accomplish the sense of goals and aims they need to pursue.

Being born and brought up in a very small place called Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Gaurav has been an inspiration to a lot of youth in the country. The thing to be most acknowledged in the case of Gaurav is that the scarcity of resources did not lead him to become a quitter but instead,

Gaurav became more determined and leaned how to make the most of the situation he is in.

Being a digital marketer, his access to the knowledge about the internet and the marketing schemes and strategies on the internet have become diverse and refined. His own channel on YouTube is gaining subscribers at a very high rate. It’s become facile for Gaurav to maintain his YouTube channel because of his achievements in the field of digital marketing.

Having said that, it is extremely important to mention that Gaurav understands and interprets the tastes and demands of his audience, which is needless to say, is quite heterogeneous.

Gaurav’s aim is to become one of those YouTubers’ who would be known for his creativity and his talented outlook. His videos are unique and attractive at the same time. The name of his channel in itself describes his perception and his passion. His viewers must crave for more new videos each time they visit his channel. There are a million things happening across the globe today but not everything is being posted or viewed or uploaded by anybody at all. Gaurav wants the people to witness such incidents and give their insight regarding the same.

Gaurav Dixit’s passionate love towards his profession is admirable and impressive. His efforts are to be applauded for sure. To become a digital marketer it takes education and resources, which were very limited as per his needs. He staggered initially but made it a rule that he would not give up no matter what. He created a YouTube channel because he wanted recognition in the world. This is also a source of income for him but most importantly, it is one platform, that will give his name and fame. Being on this journey of success, he hasn’t forgotten to be humble and sincere towards his profession.

It is inevitable for a YouTuber to be constantly updated about his channel and the number of views on his videos or the number of subscribers to his channel. In addition to this, Gaurav would have to have a conversation with his audience and learn about their demands. He has been striving hard day and night to promote his channel and to give the best contact he can to his followers. His social media is also a platform where he promotes his channel. Gaurav has diligently given his time and sweat for this profession and he believes that sooner or later, it will bear fruits.

Content creation has become a popular thing today’s time. It has seen the birth of many influencers on social media who have been working with various fashion brands and making a name for themselves in the digital medium. Karishma Yadav Bhalla, popularly known as ‘Pinktrunkk’ on Instagram, is a content creator in the fashion and beauty industry. Karishma has always been a fashion enthusiast and she studies fashion styling and media from London College Of Fashion. Delhi girl who pursued her masters in fashion management from NIFT. The fashion influencer began her career as a fashion stylist at Cosmopolitan, India. Besides this, she even worked as a head stylist at Exclusively.com. 

While she was studying fashion styling in London, she was asked to create a blog and document things that inspired her, be it fashion, beauty or lifestyle. Being a part of her curriculum, Karishma enjoyed it so much that she decided to work hard towards her goal and become a fashion expert which she is today. Later, she started her personal blog ‘Pinktrunk’ where she initially documented her daily outfits and later started exploring the beauty and lifestyle industry. She has also been a personal stylist to South Indian superstar Amala Paul. 

If you wonder, how she has got a tremendous presence on social media, we tell you that she has been a former social media head at NIMAI – a multi-designer jewellery brand in Delhi. “I believe that it is the audience who makes you popular on social media. I always make sure to share genuine content with my viewers and connect with them at regular intervals. Social media has seen rapid growth in recent times, and it is the best way to engage with a larger audience”, said Karishma. 

Till now, she has associated with many renowned brands like Nike, Google, Reebok, Thailand Tourism, Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Foreo, Dyson, Hyundai among others.  A strong fanbase of 134K followers on Instagram has made Karishma Yadav Bhalla one established name on social media. 

One of the most popular app TikTok has made many people overnight stars. The best thing about it is that it takes no time to spread on the internet. Many people have become popular on social media with their TikTok videos. Yousaf Razzaq is that name who surprisingly made everyone his fans through the lip-syncing app. Popularly known as ‘YousifIsHere’, he has got a great fan following on TikTok and is growing faster on Instagram as well. He is from Dubai and has been a model and an actor.

Yousaf became a talk of the town when his latest video featuring Sanjay Dutt with the song ‘Aakhir Tumhe Aana Hai’ playing in the background broke the internet. He has been a former advertiser and has great expertise in social media. “I started making TikTok videos just for the sake of passing my time. I enjoyed doing it so much that I started to post my videos regularly and I got a great response from everyone. Gradually I was going through the flow, but I never realized that it would make me a talking point on the internet. It feels really great when good things happen unexpectedly”, said the renowned TikTok star.

He has been working as a model and an actor in Dubai. Being an actor he is very disciplined about fitness and believes in simplicity. Besides this, Yousaf is a big car lover and loves to travel across the globe. Moreover, he also revealed that his dream car is Bentley and he is really working hard to make it a reality. With making everyone go crazy with his videos, we wonder what unique content Yousaf plans to bring on the internet. Well, it is really interesting as well as surprising to see how the internet makes ordinary people overnight stars.

Shoaib Patwary, a certified ethical hacker, has finally got the break of his life as he will soon be directing a short film on cybersecurity in Bollywood.

He has been working on a number of cases which he has solved over the years through ethical hacking. He believes that with the ever-advancing world and technology taking over the traditional ways of living, cybersecurity is of utmost importance to ensure the safety of the country as well as its citizens.

His film will be an eyeopener for those who do not take cybersecurity very seriously and give some important insights on how to approach such cases.

“I am extremely glad to have this opportunity to make a short film on my favourite subject. I have been travelling around the world due to my profession and have solved some very clustered cases over the years. Whatever I have learned through this practice, I will try to convey through my film so that people would be able to understand the importance of cybersecurity,” said Patwary.

“In India, people do not take cybersecurity very seriously as it doesn’t sound like murder or any other grevious crime. But trust me, cybercrimes have caused even bitter deaths around the world and there are plenty of countries who have already started taking this very seriously,” he added.

He has not revealed much about the project but has said that this short film will change people’s perception towards cyber crimes.

“I have seen many cases in my life where people lost their everything just because someone hacked into their accounts andThere were cases in which people got stalked on the internet and were conspired to death. I have put all these ingredients in my short film and I hope this hits the right spots in the hearts of the viewers and they start taking this a little more seriously,” he hoped.

The film is expected to hit floors by January 2020 and may feature some big names of the Hindi film industry. Looking at the confidence of Patwari, it seems like a game changer in the Indian film industry as so far we do not have many movies based on cyber crime.

If the short film does well, the director wants to work with some of the leading actors of the industry. “If my fils goes well enough, I would surely love to work with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shah Rukh Khan if ever given a chance. That will be a dream come true moment for me,” he concluded.

Dreams are must and indeed many but the path to reach it is always full of hurdles. One who is clearing out the path to reach his dreams is a very passionate and hardworking champ who has started at a very early age. We know him already the very young Influencer Yash Gupta.

He is the Son of Mr. Rajeev Gupta who is in the business of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and is the owner of Fortune -500 company in India. The one who plays a major role in his life by being a mentor, role model, and the most influencing idol.

Mr. Yash is a student who is pursuing his BBA from Amity University, Noida and along with it, he is helping his father in his business by sharing key inputs and ideas to take the business to greater heights. His business and administration skills are of real help to his father. All this is because of his dedication towards work and the power of being an influencer is motivating him to do the best so that today’s young generation can learn a lot from him.

 He has successfully organized several college fests and events. Also Conducted a workshop at “International Conference on Agriculture & Food Science. He is an active social media butterfly who is already set to influence everyone around him and to help them to take the path to success and achieve their dreams.

Without any doubt, women are the biggest inspiration. It won’t be wrong to say that behind every successful woman is herself. Shivangi Goel has brought a significant change by breaking the stereotypes of pregnancy myths. Pregnancy is that phase when numerous things are going in a woman’s mind. Right from doubts about the physical and emotional ups and downs, she has to deal with a lot. Experiencing and going through this struggle, Shivangi decided to start her own blog after giving birth to her first child. 

A passionate woman that she is, she loves to help people and influence them in the right way. Today the influencer is inspiring many women on the internet with sharing motivational stories. She considers her two boys her biggest source of motivation. While talking about her journey, Shivangi said, “My journey inspires women to raise kids in a happy environment. I am on social media to motivate them and to maintain their individuality as I strongly believe that happy moms raise happy kids. There is a great sense of contentment from within when you bring a change and positive impact in someone’s life and I am doing my bit.”

She hails from Delhi and is a post-graduate. Getting nostalgic about her college days, she said that she was an all-rounder. Right from sports to academics, she was a pro and had a keen interest in extra-curricular activities. Helping people is what she loves to do. However, after her marriage, the social media influencer thought that her dreams had hit a roadblock and she would be nothing but an ordinary homemaker. But her courage helped her achieve her goal and after delivering a child, she made up her mind to become a social media influencer and support women who are going through tough times. Inspiring everyone by her work, we need more people like Shivangi Goel who brings a positive change in the world. Don’t you agree?

The Indian Institute of Technology at Guwahati has developed nanomaterials derived from nature to deliver drugs inside the human body in a controlled and targetted manner. Such biocompatible vehicles could potentially carry chemotherapy drugs directly to the cancer cells, a statement issued by the Institute said.

A research team led by Dr. Biman B. Mandal, Associate Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, along with Dr. Jadi Praveen Kumar, Dr. Rocktotpal Konwarh, Dr. Manishekhar Kumar and Mr. Ankit Gangrade have studied various types of nanomaterials for use as carriers in targeted drug delivery.

 A nanometre is one-millionth of a millimeter and nanomaterials are made of particles that are 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. In chemotherapy, nanoparticles loaded with drugs can be targeted at tumor cells, bypassing healthy cells, thus avoiding non-specific biodistribution, drug resistance, and unwanted adverse effects. 

According to Dr. Mandal, IIT Guwahati research team has developed a hydrogel system made of silk and carbon nanotubes loaded with drug molecules for controlled release of drugs.  Hydrogels are polymeric networks that absorb huge volumes of water and swell. The high water content makes hydrogels similar to tissues, enhancing biocompatibility, and also allow easy encapsulation and release of drugs at targeted sites. The researchers combined silk with drug-loaded carbon nanotubes, which offered better mechanical strength to the silk hydrogels, in addition to enabling slow and controlled release of the drug at the target site. 

“Our injectable hybrid hydrogel system had pH, temperature, and near-infrared (NIR) light-dependent drug release properties,” added Dr. Mandal. The work, the results of which were published recently in ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.  The hybrid hydrogel is injectable and designed to serve as a reservoir for anticancer drugs at the local site of the tumour. For technology, the team has applied for a patent. Ankit Gangrade has co-authored this paper with Dr. Mandal.

In an earlier study, Dr. Mandal and his team used bio-derived carbon nanodots as vehicles for drug delivery.  It is attractive to produce such nanodots from biological sources to avoid the use of toxic products, and there have been attempts to produce carbon nanodots from bread, jaggery, banana, and even milk. 

In an Indian twist to these attempts, the research team produced carbon nanodots from lassi, the popular yogurt-based drink.  The researchers heated store-bought lassi in the microwave oven for about six and a half minutes and separated the carbonized portion that contained carbon nanodots. The researchers then loaded the nanodots with a model drug compound called doxorubicin (Dox).  The Dox-loaded carbon nanoparticles released the drug in response to the change in acid content in the surrounding medium.  What’s more, the drug was delivered into the target cell directly. 

Talking about the treatment methods for cancer, Dr. Biman B. Mandal, Associate Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati, said, “Although conventional chemotherapy is one of the most widely used treatment methods for cancer, its drawbacks include poor bioavailability at the actual cancerous regions, which necessitates high-dose injections, and serious side effects that arise because the drugs destroy healthy cells along with the cancer cells in the body. Both these problems can be solved by delivering drugs exclusively to the target cancerous zones, and our silk-nanotube and nanodot based vehicles would serve as good carriers of such drugs.”

The concept of targeted drugs is not new; German Nobel Laureate Paul Ehrlich proposed, in the early 1900s, the concept of ‘Magische Kugel,’ or magic bullet – a drug that can target the disease like a missile fired towards a target.  While early developments on targeted drugs focused on treating infections, the past two decades have seen a surge in the development of targeted drugs for cancer and other tumors.

Doctors are extraordinary people. However, it is rarely just the profession that makes them unique or remarkable. Diving into their world means to dive into the mind of someone who is – deeply committed, inspired by transformative life experiences, and has a higher calling.

Ethan Smallwood’s journey has been captivating, or rather extraordinary. It started in his early years when he won two academic scholarships to study at Solihull School, one of the highly selective private institutions in the United Kingdom. His hard work and determination were rewarded with a place at Nottingham University Medical School in 2016, having achieved 15 A*’s across GCSE and A-Level.

Furthermore, during his time at University, Ethan began to show an insight into his life at medical school through Instagram which really connected with other students and aspiring doctors. As of August 2019, he has amassed over 100k followers on the platform. He has also had the opportunity to travel the world while studying, from New York to Dubai to Thailand. And, of course, he’s graduating medical school in a couple of years — all before he turns 25.

Now, the 21-year-old med student aspires to tell his story to an even broader audience. His soon-to-be-live YouTube channel ‘The Student Doctor’ will be where he shares his own experiences through medical school. It will also help guide prospective med students through the processes of application and attending classes.

It was during the increase in popularity of his Instagram handle that many people contacted him as they became interested in his experiences in medical school. The popularity of his posts gave him the idea to respond to the rising interest in a broader fashion, and in a way that filled a gap in general awareness. 

“Med school can be daunting,” he says, “but also it’s a remarkable experience. I’m fortunate enough to have navigated it and learned so much along the way. How the human body works is just fascinating. Providing people with care is hands-down the most rewarding thing you can do. If you can figure out how to do all the preliminary paperwork and meet the school’s requirements easily, the more time you will have for the really wonderful and inspiring parts of this adventure.”

Of course, the advice and insight that ‘Doctor Ethan’ provides will also be genuine and derived from his own experiences, challenges, trials and errors, and the moments in his life that shaped it. This means he will inevitably be sharing many of these experiences. Ethan hopes that, even though his own journey has been a charmed one, he will still be able to impart information universal enough for anyone to learn from it.

“I’ve been really lucky, no doubt,” he says. “But I’ve also worked hard, I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve had a lot of inspiration along the way. I think that, for as unique as my experience has been, it’s got lessons in it that can teach and inspire others,” concludes the student doctor!