Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

New Delhi, May 14 () Snowman Logistics on Thursday said COVID-19 has not impacted its business as the company's operations continued during the lockdown. The statement comes days after the proposed sale of entire 40.25 per cent stake of Gateway Distriparks in Snowman Logistics to Adani Group firm was called off. "The business of Snowman Logistics Ltd is considered under the 'essential services' category as per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and accordingly all the warehouses of the company are functional and fully operational. "Thus, the pandemic has not had any adverse impact on the company's business as its operations continued during the lockdown period as well," the company said in a filing to BSE.The clarification from the company came in response to some media reports which said Snowman Logistics' business was being impacted due to COVID-19, according to the filing.However, the company faced some logistics related issues due to lack of availability of drivers, it said.Further, this year the prawn culture crop is excellent and exports are slow leading to more storage of seafood, thereby increasing Snowman's core business of cold store warehousing, it said.The seafood storage business is not impacted due to the pandemic, it said adding that in fact, the impact was in the calendar year 2019 due to cyclones Fani and Bulbul."Due to the above mentioned reasons the warehouse occupancies at Snowman have increased to 91.5 per cent as on date from 84 per cent as on March 22, 2020 (i.e. before the lockdown)," it said.The proposed sale of entire 40.25 per cent stake of Gateway Distriparks in Snowman Logistics to Adani Logistics has been called off due to repudiation of the agreement by the acquirer, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.Snowman Logistics is the cold chain unit of Gateway Distriparks Ltd. Last year, Adani Logistics had said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 40.25 per cent stake in Snowman Logistics from Gateway Distriparks for Rs 296 crore. SID SID ANUANU

No adverse impact on biz due to COVID-19: Snowman Logistics

New Delhi, Dec 27 () Billionaire Gautam Adani's port-to-power Adani group has acquired majority stake in Snowman Logistics Ltd for Rs 296 crore to foray into cold chain logistics.
 Adani Logistics Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd, signed definitive agreements to acquire 40.25 per cent stake in Snowman Logistics Ltd from Gateway Distriparks Ltd, the company said in a statement.
 Snowman is market leader in cold chain logistics with over 30 per cent of capacity amongst integrated organised cold chain service providers in India.
 The acquisition gives Adani Logistics platform to double its capacity in the next five years. The buyout is in line with the firm's strategy to move from port gate to customer gate.
 "The purchase price of Rs 44 per share represents a 8 per cent premium to the market price of December 27, 2019 and a 12 per cent premium to 60 day average," it said.
 As part of the transaction, Adani Logistics will make a mandatory open offer as per the Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeover Guidelines, 2011 for a maximum 26 per cent of the public shareholding in the Snowman Logistics.
 Acquisition is subject to customary condition precedents and expected to close by March 31, 2020.
 Karan Adani, Chief Executive Officer and Whole Time Director of APSEZ said, "The acquisition is in line with our strategy and vision to be a leader in providing integrated logistics services in India and moving from port gate to customer gate. Cold chain is key product in customer gate strategy given India's consumer driven demand. We will double the capacity in next 5 years. 
 "With focus on increase in utilization, higher realization from product mix and operational efficiencies, this vertical will help further improve returns of logistics business".
 Incorporated in 1994, Snowman Logistics is in the business of integrated cold chain logistics providing warehousing, distribution and value added services.
 With over 25 years of expertise, the firm is the largest organized player in the country with pan India presence operating 31 temperature-controlled warehouses at 15 strategic locations. The company infrastructure includes warehousing capacity of 1,04,343 pallets and 293 refrigerated vehicles.
 Adani Logistics has expertise in handling varied customer across segments like retail, industrial, bulk, break-bulk, liquids, auto and grain handling. It currently operates 5 logistics parks, 55 rakes, 400,000 sq ft of warehousing space, 5,000-plus containers, 0.9 million tonnes of grain silos and 9 inland waterways vessels.
 The company is targeting 15-plus logistics parks, 200-plus rakes, 5 million sq ft of warehouse space, over 15,000 containers, 2.5 million tonnes of grain silos and 25 inland waterways vessels by 2025, the statement said.
 Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), a part of globally diversified Adani Group, is the largest port developer and operator in India. Its 10 strategically located ports and terminals - Mundra, Dahej, Kandla and Hazira in Gujarat, Dhamra in Odisha, Mormugao in Goa, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Kattupalli and Ennore in Chennai - represent 24 per cent of the country's total port capacity, handling vast amounts of cargo from both coastal areas and the vast hinterland. The company is also developing a transhipment port at Vizhinjam, Kerala. ANZ MR
MR

Adani forays into cold chain logistics with Rs 296 cr acquisition of Snowman Logistics

<ul><li>Experts and industry players have welcomed the long-awaited <keyword id="7393806" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="national-logistics-policy" source="Orion">National Logistics Policy</keyword>, calling it transformational and a ‘game changer’.</li><li>The <keyword id="187135" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="nlp" source="Orion">NLP</keyword> includes a new single-window platform for accessing all transport services digitally to an online portal to address grievances.</li><li>With the NLP, the immediate aim of the government is to reduce the cost of <keyword id="108235" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="logistics" source="Orion">logistics</keyword> and bring it in line with global standards.</li></ul>The Indian government finally announced the much-awaited National Logistics Policy, and that has the industry players excited. The primary aim of the new policy is to bring down the cost of logistics in line with global standards. The NLP, as it is being called, aims to standardize several aspects of logistics, including things like the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (<keyword id="44600" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ulip" source="Orion">ULIP</keyword>), Ease of Logistics Services (E-Logs) platform, and more. Here are some of the goals of the new National Logistics Policy: <ol><li>Bring down logistics costs from the current 14% of the Indian GDP to 10% by the end of 2022. In countries like Singapore, US, and South Korea, this stands at 8%.</li><li>Improve Logistics Performance Index and catapult India to the top 25 countries.</li><li>Minimize logistical issues via standardization of the warehousing sector and reduce transportation stress on roadways by offloading some of it to other modes of transport.</li><li>Enhance workforce skills via Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya.</li><li>Address issues of the logistics industry via unified service platforms like ULIP and E-Logs.</li></ol>Industry players have welcomed NLP, saying that this will be a “game changer”. “Push towards seamless multimodal transportation and modern connectivity will be a game changer as it will shift the transportation stress from just road to other modes as well,” said Vineet Agarwal, MD of Transport Corporation of India. Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said, "The National Logistics Policy is a welcome move and this along with PM Gati Shakti plan will help build a more resilient logistics ecosystem in the country. Along with improving efficiency across the value chain, it will also result in a considerable reduction in logistics costs from their present level, thereby benefiting the end customer with lower costs." Sunil Nair, CEO of Snowman Logistics said that the much-awaited National Logistics Policy covered most of his expectations. “The integration of 30 systems from seven different departments is one of the most liked solutions,” said. Ease of access to information will also enable better business opportunities, said Zaiba Sarang, co-founder of iThink Logistics. “NLP gives the smallest person in the ecosystem access to information that was available to key stakeholders only. 85% own less than 10 trucks and their empty trucks can pick up the goods from the best place which will yield them higher returns,” she said. The government’s aim to reduce dependence on just one mode of transport is important, said Pervinder Singh Chawla, co-founder of Onmove. “NLP attempts to have strong infrastructure (the heart of logistics) and tech infrastructure to support a fast-growing manufacturing economy. NLP has its focus on tactical multimodal implementation (the tail of cheetah) that is flexible, cost efficient and agile,” he said. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="NLP could be the UPI of logistics, say analysts" comment="subhead" text="NLP could be the UPI of logistics, say analysts">NLP could be the <keyword id="6358921" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="upi" source="Orion">UPI</keyword> of logistics, say analysts</cmsannotation> One of the common issues plaguing the Indian economy has been bureaucracy and the red tape. The NLP also tries to address this to an extent with ULIP, which is a single window interface that integrates all digital services for the transport sector at a single place. “Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) will bring all digital services related to the transportation sector into a single portal. The platform aims at breaking individual silos, promoting integration among various ministries/departments and creating a single window thereby bringing in transparency and efficiency,” said a report by JM Financial. “The aim is to create a UPI-like structure in which every single transaction of the logistic department can be authenticated,” the report added further, explaining how ULIP could transform the logistics landscape. It remains to be seen if ULIP can do for logistics what UPI has done for sending and receiving money. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/anil-agarwal-profile-vedanta-resources-listing-in-london-stock-exchange-gujarat-semiconductor-chipset-plant/articleshow/94297057.cms">Anil Agarwal – how a Bihar boy who knew only ‘yes’ and ‘no’ went onto list the first Indian company on London Stock Exchange</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/for-every-100-pulled-out-by-foreign-investors-from-the-indian-equity-markets-domestic-investors-have-ploughed-back-89-this-year/articleshow/94220904.cms">For every ₹100 pulled out by foreign investors from the Indian equity markets, domestic investors have ploughed back ₹89 this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/from-sbi-to-icici-indian-banks-are-entering-an-earnings-upgrade-cycle-says-morgan-stanley/articleshow/94049013.cms">Time to buy banks? Morgan Stanley says yes as banks are entering 2nd leg of earnings upgrades</a>

National Logistics Policy will be a game changer, say industry players

New Delhi, May 18 () Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) on Monday said its subsidiary Adani Logistics is still in talks to buy Gateway Distripark Ltd's (GDL) 40.25 per cent stake in Snowman Logistics. GDL earlier this week had said that the proposed sale of entire 40.25 per cent stake of Gateway Distriparks in cold chain operator Snowman Logistics to Adani Logistics was called off due to repudiation of the agreement by the acquirer. As notified to the stock exchanges on April 1, 2020, Adani Logistics Ltd (ALL) currently holds 26 per cent of the total voting equity share capital of Snowman, pursuant to an open offer and that parties are in discussion in relation to the purchase of its 40.25 per cent stake in Snowman pursuant to a share purchase agreement dated December 27, 2019 between ALL, GDL and Snowman (SPA), APSEZ said in a regulatory filing to the BSE. "ALL has received a letter issued by GDL in relation to a purported repudiation of the SPA and ALL has duly responded to the same. ALL has categorically denied the correctness and basis of the statements, assertions and claims being made by GDL," APSEZ said. Snowman Logistics is the cold chain unit of Gateway Distriparks Ltd."The condition for completion of transaction by March 31, 2020 was not met by the acquirer, and the seller has notified the acquirer and the company that the agreement is not in force due to repudiation of the agreement by the acquirer," Gateway Distriparks has earlier said in a BSE filing.Last year, Adani Logistics had announced signing of a definitive agreement to acquire 40.25 per cent stake in Snowman Logistics from Gateway Distriparks for Rs 296 crore. NAM MKJ

Adani Logistics still in talks to buy GDL's 40% stake in Snowman: APSEZ

Logistics companies were in the thick of action as investors latched on to beaten down prices on Friday after a 7-day broader sell-off on domestic <keyword id="6354298" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="stocks">stocks</keyword>. <keyword id="6359949" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Blue-Dart">Blue Dart</keyword> Express, the top player in the segment, lead peers higher on sustained buying across the industry. Blue Dart gained 3.2 percent to 6,950 rupees. <keyword id="138522" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gati">GATI</keyword> jumped 8.5 percent to 148 rupees. <keyword id="1004271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Snowman-Logistics">Snowman Logistics</keyword> rose 5.8 percent to 100.30 rupees, Transport Corp jumped 6.9 percent to 271 rupees.Patel Integrated surged 13 percent to 92.80 rupees and <keyword id="497831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="VRL-Logistics">VRL Logistics</keyword> jumped 9.8 percent to 312.50 rupees
 The entire sector saw secular buying with 14 out of 18 stocks in the industry posting gains far in excess of the broader markets, where the <keyword id="6354813" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="nifty">Nifty</keyword> was just 0.7 percent higher at 8,004 points.

	Investors have taken fancy for the logistics sector over the past one year on expectations that expanding growth will result in a higher movement of freight across the country. 
	 
	Image credit: Indiatimes

Find out why the logistics companies were in the thick of action today

There have certainly been some good return opportunities too. Nineteen firms have launched initial public offerings (IPOs) between September last year and September 2015, of which 11 firms have given smart return to investors, Centrum Wealth Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer Kunj Bansal told PTI.
 

	The remaining eight companies have been trading below their issue price.
 Among the new listings, <keyword id="1004271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Snowman-Logistics">Snowman Logistics</keyword> has emerged as the most sought after stock. The shares of Snowman Logistics have shot 80.21 per cent against its issue price of Rs 47. 

	Second in line is VRL Logistics whose shares have given a positive return of 80 per cent to its investors. Its shares are currently at Rs 368.50 as compared to the issue price of Rs 205.
 Similarly, shares of Sharda Cropchem gained 57.4 per cent per cent over the issue price of Rs 156, <keyword id="6354298" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="stocks">stocks</keyword> of Shemaroo Entertainment climbed 57.5 per cent against the issue price of Rs 170. 

	Also, shares of Syngene International shot up 41 per cent over the issue price of Rs 250, PNC Infratech rose 37 per cent against the issue price of Rs 378 and Manpasand Beverages increased 29 per cent over the issue price of Rs 320.
 

	Further, Prabhat Dairy, Shree Pushkar Chemicals &amp; Fertilisers, Inox Wind too have rewarded their investors with positive returns.
 However, Adlabs Entertainment and <keyword id="3319" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="monte-Carlo">Monte Carlo</keyword> Fashions are experiencing more than 30 per cent loss each. 

	Shares of Adlabs Entertainment, are trading way below the issue price of Rs 180. The stock is currently at Rs 105, down 42 per cent from the issue price.
 

	Besides, Monte Carlo shares have fallen 32 per cent over its issue price of Rs 645.
 The stocks of MEP Infrastructure Developers, <keyword id="43930" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="UFO">UFO</keyword> Moviez India, Pennar Engineered Building Systems and Power Mech Projects are trading below their respective issue price. 
	(Image credits: Indiatimes)

All is not negative in the markets

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) The key vaccines India is banking on are from Oxford/AstraZeneca, Novavax and J&amp;J and the earliest efficacy data is expected by the end of November-December 2020 and in the best case, vaccines can be rolled out in January 2021. According to a research by Credit Suisse, India needs about 1.7 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to vaccinate majority of its adult population. It targets to administer 400-500 million doses by July 2021. "The key vaccines India is banking on are from Oxford/AstraZeneca, Novavax and J&amp;J (temperature range is 2-8-degree Celsius) and the earliest efficacy data is expected by the end of November-December and in the best case, vaccines can be rolled out in January 2021," the report said. Credit Suisse said there is sufficient capacity for vaccine manufacturing (more than 2.4 billion doses) and various components like vials, stoppers, syringes, gauze, alcohol swabs, etc. The bottleneck is cold storage infrastructure (especially refrigerated vans) and by using a part of the capacity of current immunisation programme (600 million doses) and the cold chain infrastructure of the private sector (250-300 million doses), potential vaccinations can reach 550-600 million doses annually. Manpower required for administering the vaccine will be less than 1 lakh. Aurobindo's large viral vector vaccine facility (300 million doses) should be ready by March-April 2021. The pricing in export markets could be higher than in India and profitability could be at Rs 20-25 per dose and, therefore, on a 300 million dose capacity, Aurobindo could benefit from a potential EBITDA of Rs 6-7.5 billion (or 12-15 per cent of FY22E EBITDA). Cadila also has facility for 100 million doses but it is for DNA vaccine and, therefore, would not be able to manufacture vaccine from global players in the near term, the report said. Apollo Hospitals has infrastructure to administer 100 million doses annually and this can add Rs 2.5 billion EBITDA. Diagnostic companies (Metropolis) should also benefit from an increase in demand for antibody tests (both before and after vaccination) but their pricing can sharply come down. Higher vaccination will impact volumes of Covid-19 treatment drugs. Cipla and Cadila have benefited the most from the sale of Covid-19 treatment drugs (especially Remdesivir) in 2Q FY21 and the volume should substantially reduce in FY22 on increasing vaccination. The key vaccines India is banking on are from Oxford/AstraZeneca, Novavax, and J&amp;J as the temperature range of these vaccines is about 2-8-degree Celsius (vs -20-degree Celsius for Moderna and -70-degree Celsius for Pfizer). The key bottleneck is likely to be cold storage capacity. The Covid-19 vaccination will have to use a part of the infrastructure of the current immunisation programme (27,000 cold chain points catering to 600 million doses) and would need support of the private sector too. Organised private cold chain companies can at best handle 250-300 million doses (bottleneck is refrigerated vans rather than storage). Further, the reach of private sector cold storage doesn't extend to the hinterland and for that another solution needs to be devised. "Overall, with bottleneck on cold chain infrastructure, we estimate annual vaccinations may be just around 550-600 million doses. Skilled manpower required to administer 550-600 million doses is less than 1 lakh which should not prove to be a bottleneck," the report said. "Our demand estimate for population to be vaccinated assumes 25 per cent of the population already being infected by March 2021 (most sero-studies already pointing to 20 per cent plus positive infection rate). Most of the global vaccines have done trials only on population set of above 12-15 years, as per current protocols, and requirement of two doses per person (the exception is J&amp;J vaccine which is a single dose vaccine). These assumptions lead to requirement of 1.7 billion doses, assuming that no repeat vaccinations are needed," the report added. The government has already started preparing the database of priority beneficiaries. It has issued an advisory at district and state levels to prepare a database of both public and private healthcare workers, and subsequently upload it to the Covid-19 Vaccine Beneficiary Management System, which is currently under works. The database of healthcare workers is expected to be finalised shortly, whereas the database of people above 50 years and frontline workers is already in place. However, the key challenge would be to prepare the database of people with comorbidities, where the data is currently limited to screening of people at 48,000 health centers. The number of Covid-19 cases in India currently stands at 8.6 million, but the growth in new cases has considerably slowed down to 0.6 per cent 5-day CDGR. The average number of daily cases in the trailing week has dropped to 46,000 (vs 92,000 at peak), the report said. The recovery rate has also increased to 93 per cent, and the total number of active cases is less than half of the peak. These metrics point to a moderation in pandemic severity. However, this may not reflect the actual underlying disease burden given that the latest nationwide sero-prevalence study, conducted between August 17 and September 22 in 70 districts across 21 states, found that 6.6 per cent of the total participants were exposed to SARSCoV-2, while reported cases then were 0.3 per cent (of total population). This indicates that the actual infections could be 25 times the reported cases. However, from India's perspective, the success of mRNA candidates would have little impact since they have more stringent cold chain requirements, with the Pfizer candidate requiring cold chain to operate at as low as -70-degree Celsius. The Serum Institute of India has mentioned that it has already been producing about 40-50 million doses per month and, therefore, it has stockpiled initial inventory for Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. Hence, this should be the first vaccine available in 1Q CY21 in India (unless Indian government provides an Emergency Use Authorisation to any other company). Thereafter, 2QCY21 onwards, multiple plants are expected to come online and Serum's manufacturing capacity could also get augmented to 100 million doses per month by around June 2021. In terms of availability, Serum said that Oxford/AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine candidate, named Covishield in India, can be provided regulatory go-ahead as early as December 2020 provided the trial results are successful. Serum is currently conducting Phase II/III trials of Covishield among 1,600 participants across 17 sites in India, aged 18 to 55. Biological E is working on capacity to manufacture 1. 4 billion vaccine doses annually, comprising 400 million doses for J&amp;J and 1 billion doses for its vaccine developed with US-based Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). In addition, Biological E has signed a licensing agreement with BCM under which the latter would facilitate technology transfer for recombinant protein-based Covid-19 vaccine. Biological E would undertake further development, conduct clinical trials and manufacture 1 billion doses annually. In order to augment its capacity, it had recently acquired Akorn India's facility in Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, which has capacity to produce 135 million doses annually. Biological E has received approval for conducting Phase I/II clinical trials among 400 participants in India. Bharat Biotech has developed Covaxin  India's first vaccine candidate for Covid-19  in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The Covid-19 strain was isolated by NIV and transferred to Bharat Biotech. It received go-ahead for Phase I trials in July, which was subsequently conducted among 375 volunteers across 12 sites. After assessing the safety data, the company initiated Phase II trials among 380 volunteers. Post assessing safety and immunogenicity data from the two trials, the company is progressing with Phase III trials, which will involve 28,500 subjects across 19 sites in 10 states. The report said that the private players, in anticipation of possible demand, have begun ramping up capacity to distribute Covid-19 vaccines en masse when ready. The largest private player  Snowman Logistics  has capacity to store 650 million doses. However, this assumes that all of the capacity is used only for vaccine storage. Practically, capacity available for vaccine distribution will be only 10-15 per cent of this or about 100 million doses for Snowman. For the organised private cold chain storage industry, total vaccine storage capacity would be 250-300 million doses. "Our interaction with the industry suggests that bottleneck is not in the storage but in the number of refrigerated vans. The organised sector does not have reach extending to the hinterlands in the country and for those regions, it is likely that the government may utilise existing fruit and vegetable cold storage to achieve the purpose," the report said. The key domestic logistics players with substantial cold storage business are Snowman Logistics, Gati Kausar, Transport Corporation of India, Mahindra Logistics and Future Supply Chain Solutions. (Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in) --IANS san/arm

India needs 1.7b Covid vaccine doses for adult population

New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) India's struggle with a cold chain for Covid vaccine stems from the fact that despite one of the large cold chain capacities in the world, there are not many large participants with capacity exceeding 5,000 tonnes. A research by BofA Securities also found that on top of this, very few are pharma-compliant as per WHO norms. Despite a large capacity, capacity to transport ultra-low temperatures at minus 80 degrees Celsius is not there and cannot be created in such a short span of time. Although there are certain experts who have said use of dry ice in designated box can retain such low temperatures for 24-48 hours and could be put to use. However, even temperatures like minus 18 to minus 20 degrees Celsius are a challenge as such capacity is not sizeable. Certain food items are stored at such temperatures but the players will have to make those facilities pharma compliant and it will take a few months at least to do that. But this is doable. The report said however what is delaying such activity is which vaccine is getting approved and in what presentation that is not known. A single dose vial or multi dose vial may have different requirements. For filled-up 2ml vial that weighs 200 gms, 40,000-50,000 vials can be carried by one reefer which has 7 tonne capacity. So for overall 400mn doses as per industry forecasts, India may need 30,000 tonne of transportation capacity which is 11,500 vehicles. The type of vaccine will also create different need for cold chain capacities as discussed before. Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccine needs extreme cold temperatures for stability whereas AstraZeneca (AZN)/Oxford can be stored, transported and handled at standard refrigerated conditions between two to eight degrees Celsius. India may be well prepared to handle AZN vaccine as most other vaccines in its immunisation schedule carry similar temperature sensitivities. Less visibility on future use of capacity making private players question return on investment on such exercise. Many private companies are waiting for clear directives from the government and pharma companies. There is no clarity on where to create capacity and how much. While most manufacturing may be in areas like Ahmedabad (Cadila), Pune (Serum Institute of India), Hyderabad (Bharat Biotech, Biological E, Dr Reddy's) and Telangana (Aurobindo), some can even happen at other locations like Himachal Pradesh (Akorn sterile site which Biological E bought), the report said. The cold chain market in India is very fragmented with over 3,500 companies and of these very few are pharma compliant as per guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO). As per the research by BofA Securities, organised participants contribute only 8-10 per cent of the overall market. Only a handful number of participants have a capacity of more than 5000 tonnes, and of these, very few are pharma compliant keeping in mind guidelines as set by WHO. Nonetheless India has strong vaccine distribution system which will give some leverage to conduct a massive vaccination programme for Covid 19. India boasts of running largest UIP (universal immunisation programme) in the world that administers 600 million doses annually. "And with the Covid-19 vaccine, there is an even larger exercise ahead - almost 16 times UIP size in terms of the number of people to be vaccinated," the report said. As per study by INCLEN Trust International - vaccine cold chain network in India includes four Government Medical Store Depots (GMSDs) located in Karnal, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, 39 state vaccine stores, 123 divisional vaccine stores, 644 district level stores and 22,674 PHCs (primary healthcare centres) stores. India is repurposing eVIN (electronic vaccine intelligence network) for use for Covid-19 vaccinations. eVIN system provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and storage temperatures across all cold chain points. The system may now be added with a feature to identify vaccine beneficiary to be vaccinated. Using digital technology, the government aims to ensure last mile vaccine delivery with minimal wastage and maximum potency. Despite large capacity, the sheer demand for vaccine storage can drive incremental investment in vaccine cold chain. Snowman Logistics is investing Rs 700 million in two new facilities and for expanding existing ones. Per company, current capacity can handle 100 million doses and with expansion plus partnership, this could be scaled up to 300 million doses. It has 300 refrigerated vans, plans to deploy 200 of those for vaccine distribution. Blue Dart is also adding capacity and is capable of handling some very stringent temperature requirements. Other companies like Gati, TCI Express, Coldstar, Coldex, Western Refrigeration and Mahindra Logistics have also been active in discussion. As per the report, total cold storage capacity for India is estimated to be between 35-37 million tonnes. Total number of cold storage in India is 8,200 across multiple points. Almost 50 per cent of this is in Uttar Pradesh and 80 per cent concentrated in seven states of India. CRISIL expects cold storage industry to grow at a CAGR 12-15 per cent over FY19-23. A large part of current storage is for agricultural produce with potato having major occupancy (almost 68 per cent of the total capacity). New trends indicate emergence of multi product cold storage facilities to increase occupancy and profitability. Cold chain is key for any immunisation programme. The idea is to deliver the vaccine or other immunological products to the right people at the right place and in the right time under controlled conditions to ensure the product potency. In order to achieve this, cold chain management (CCM) requires standardized equipment and procedures. (Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at sanjeev.s@ians.in) --IANS san/vd

Small players, few pharma compliant: India's struggle with cold chain for Covid vaccine

<ul><li>India needs to ramp up its <keyword id="6585925" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="cold-storage">cold storage</keyword> facilities to accommodate the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine within the country.</li><li>The shortfall in India’s cold storage extended to before the outbreak when food supply in excess of refrigeration capacity led to wastage. </li><li>This is why experts believe the ramp-up of cold storage will have long-lasting benefits across industries even once the pandemic is over. </li></ul>India has been debating the need for cold storage seemingly forever⁠. The issue has been raised every time there is a shortage of food items, or every time someone has argued in favour of allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. However, now the need to ensure the supply of COVID-19 vaccines has triggered an emergency need for building ample cold storage that will be useful even after the pandemic. India's cold storage and the COVID-19 vaccine bottleneck India will need to administer around 1.7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to immunise most of its adult population. While it's true that the country has more than ample means to manufacture the required vaccine doses, it currently doesn't have enough cold storage to keep it all. "The limited capacity of cold storage in India will be a big challenge. It will not be easy," India's Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan acknowledged during a press conference last week. The lack of standardised protocols, plagued by an unreliable power supply, and struggling even to store the most basic agricultural produce are signs that India's cold storage facilities will be tested as the country faces its greatest challenge yet. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">The cold storage challenge: </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Total doses required to immunise India’s population </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.66 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India’s total vaccine manufacturing capacity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.4 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India’s total estimated cold storage capacity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">450-550 million </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Company data, Credit Suisse estimates Logistics companies and airlines, key stakeholders in ensuring that the COVID-19 vaccine can get from one place to another, have the required capability — but even they’re <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/world/airlines-logistics-firms-seek-clarity-on-storage-supply/amp-11606150713681.html">struggling with the question of capacity. </a> How much cold storage does India need for the COVID-19 vaccine? In order to store the COVID-19 properly, the government will have to utilise a part of the infrastructure available under the current immunisation program and need support from players in the private sector. But the utilisation of the Expanded Program for Immunisation (EPI) for the COVID-19 vaccine has not been officially announced yet. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India’s cold storage capacity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Number of doses </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Government capacity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">200-250 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Private sector capacity </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">250-300 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TOTAL CAPACITY </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">450-550 million </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Company data, Credit Suisse estimates It’s also why COVID-19 vaccines being developed by Pfizer and Moderna won’t be feasible to distribute in the Indian market. To store a vaccine at minus 70 degrees Celsius would require a significant overall of the existing system since most of the country’s cold storage is only equipped to offer a temperature range of between two to eight degrees Celsius. COVID-19 vaccine candidates offered by Oxford, Johnson and Johnson, and Novavax are the top contenders for distribution in India primarily because of their ability to survive in warmer temperatures. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vaccine candidates and the temperatures they need to survive: </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vaccine </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cold chain </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Pfizer/BioNTech </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-70 degrees Celsius </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Moderna </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-20 degrees Celsius </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Oxford/AstraZeneca </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2-8 degrees </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Johnson and Johnson </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2-8 degrees </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Novavax </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2-8 degrees </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Respective companies Opportunities for cold storage post pandemic Cold storage is a part of the infrastructure and a subsector of real estate that consists of large refrigerated warehouses and holds the country’s entire food supply together. “Expansions and new service launches will offer lucrative opportunities for market players over the next five years,” noted a report by <a href="https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cold-chains-frozen-food-market-811.html">MarketsandMarkets</a> from October. It pegs India to be the fastest-growing country in the Asia Pacific when it comes to the cold chain market. According to Manoj Pant, the regional business manager at Snowman Logistics, cold chain storage will play a pivotal role in storing food perishables after the pandemic. This expands from e-commerce companies to online pharmacies to organised meat and seafood retail. “The hiccups experienced by the food storage and supply chain due to the pandemic are raising concerns on the food security of India. A robust cold chain infrastructure is needed to strengthen the supply and storage of perishables to suffice India’s population,” he stated. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Typical temperatures for a cold storage facility: </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Temperature range </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Items permissible </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Below -18 degrees Celsius </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Meat and seafood </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0 to 10 degrees Celsius </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dairy products, fruits, medicines and meat </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10 to 20 degrees Celsius </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Flowers, fruits, vegetables and wine </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Above 20 degrees Celsius </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Flowers and wine </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: CBRE Property consultant CBRE agrees with Pant’s take. “Cold storage facilities play an integral role in improving the shelf life of products and are an important enabler for several industries working across fresh food production and delivery; along with healthcare and other products such as flowers and chemicals,” said Anshuman Magazine, the chairman of CBRE across India, South East Asia, the Middle East and Africa. These are the reasons behind the lack of cold storage infrastructure in India Limited capacity to store at the required temperatures for a vaccine is only one part of the equation. Even the existing infrastructure is not without its pitfalls. These facilities' inadequacy gets highlighted further when looking at the more humid southern states, as a report by CBRE Research pointed out in October. The facilities themselves are managed by farmers or labour who may not necessarily be aware of the correct procedure to handle the storage of medical equipment, like vaccines. In their defense, the facilities themselves lack focus on anything else but crops coming in, especially onions, chillies, or potatoes. Even so, there are very few standards and protocols in place for managing a cold storage facility in India. Even if India wants to ramp up the development of cold storage facilities, most of the technology that goes into building them is currently imported from outside India. This ramps up costs and leaves India dependent on other countries. As a country, India also needs to solve the issue of power cuts plaguing the storage of crops at cold storage facilities for years. It’s now more critical when dealing with COVID-19 vaccines. India’s Power Ministry <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/india-still-not-power-surplus-nation-peak-deficit-at-0-8-energy-deficit-at-0-6-in-2018-19/articleshow/68952124.cms?from=mdr">claims </a>that the country’s power peak deficit is around 0.8%; however, uninterrupted power is still an <a href="https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/opinion-why-rationalisation-of-tariffs-in-power-sector-is-crucial-11605085733822.html">issue</a>. The Indian government’s plan so far In order to resolve these bottlenecks and successfully distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in India, the health ministry has advised states to stop working on individual plans for distribution. Instead, they’ve been asked to create a database according to the blueprint issued by the central government. If experts are to be believed, the expansion of cold storage is not only essential for the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, but also in terms of the opportunities, it presents post-pandemic for a host of other sectors. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/heres-a-look-at-covid-19-vaccine-updates-from-around-the-world/articleshow/79420603.cms">COVID-19 vaccine latest updates</a>

You Searched For "Snowman Logistics" and got 9 results

No adverse impact on biz due to COVID-19: Snowman Logistics

PTI

Adani forays into cold chain logistics with Rs 296 cr acquisition of Snowman Logistics

PTI

National Logistics Policy will be a game changer, say industry players

Rounak Jain

Adani Logistics still in talks to buy GDL's 40% stake in Snowman: APSEZ

PTI

Find out why the logistics companies were in the thick of action today

Shailendra Bhatnagar

All is not negative in the markets

BI India Bureau

India needs 1.7b Covid vaccine doses for adult population

IANS

Small players, few pharma compliant: India's struggle with cold chain for Covid vaccine

IANS

The urgency triggered by COVID vaccine is a great opportunity for India to build all the cold storage it has needed for a long time

Prabhjote Gill

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides