Date:05/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/07/05/stories/2005070501921700.htm

Back Jeena plans warehouse facility in Coimbatore

Our Bureau

Coimbatore , July 4

COIMBATORE will soon see big-ticket entry into total logistics and supply-chain management and that may include on-line warehouse monitoring as well.

Jeena and Company, the Mumbai-based 100-year-old freight forwarding and warehousing operator, is to set up its warehousing facility in the city that will bring customised logistic solution to the manufacturing industries here.

The warehouse will have 50,000 sq ft floor area and will have all up-to-date warehousing management/information systems including customised racking to meet the supply chain management needs of both international and domestic clients, according to Mr Ravi Kannan, Head - Supply Chain and Logistics of Jeena and Company.

The Rs 300-crore logistic company has already begun the arrangement for land acquisition and the proposed warehousing would be strategically located closer to the airport. "We'll be in a position to put through the warehousing within the next six months," Mr Kannan told Business Line. The Coimbatore facility, once through, will be Jeena's 15th warehousing facility and the company currently has some 3.5 lakh sq ft of warehousing space spread across India.

Jeena, which has its Coimbatore logistics operations commenced only last year, is already running a customised warehousing/inspection center on behalf of the Germany catalogue company Otto for the latter's garment sourcing in Tirupur. It is running similar facilities for the German firm in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

The logistics company has a strong international clientele, which use Jeena's cold-chain and dry-warehousing facilities along with its supply-chain package to reach out their Indian distribution networks. Its clients include FMCG/food and beverage companies including Coffee Day, Barista (coffee chain), the US fortune 500 company Mattel Toys and the US sandwich chain `Subway'.

Its client base includes automobile/engineering companies such as Ashok Leyland, Swiss's Schindler besides the international courier company Fedexp.

With more domestic companies becoming conscious on accessing `one point contact' for their logistics solution and supply chain management, he foresee demand for quality logistics including the cold chain operations considering the future opening in retailing in the country.

Jeena is also maintaining one of the largest cold chain operations by running 12 refrigerated vehicles centering around Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

To provide end-to-end logistic solution to the industries/businesses from Coimbatore, Jeena has launched its own bonded trucking of air cargo from Coimbatore to gateway airports of Chennai, Kochi and Bangalore.

Its bonded trucking service has been cleared by the customs authorities and Jeena has tied up with Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines as authorised agent to move air cargo by trucking.