CXO of the Week: Ashish Agarwal, Director & CEO at SEROS Logistics

SEROS specializes in shipping and repairing domains while offering customized solutions to logistics challenges, including warehousing, and a multimodal network for distribution, to name a few. From real-time cargo tracking to identifying potential issues beforehand, the company has built impeccable trust in the market via transparent logistics. SEROS organizes itself into three major segments. It is also in the process of building a fleet of LNG-powered vehicles to play on long-haul routes. The company believes in asset building and continuously expands to give its clients a seamless experience.

Ashish Agarwal is the Director & CEO at SEROS Logistics, Nurturing a strong leadership team, Agarwal oversees the strategic direction of the company and its offerings. He aims to keep the clients’ tactical distractions at bay, by offering them customized logistics solutions. He strongly believes in India’s commitment to a gas-based economy and wishes to help industries transition toward cleaner fuels. An alumnus of Harvard Business School, in his previous stint Ashish worked as a Corporate Advisor at The Essar Group where he spearheaded the company’s long-term and short-term strategies.

In a recent chat with Ashish Agarwal, Director & CEO at SEROS Logistics talks about how his company aims to be a single point of contact for consumers’ end-to-end logistical requirements. Here is all you need to know.

What is SEROS Logistics all about? How does it function and what are its services?

SEROS Logistics’ legacy spans over 20 years, and currently, we are one of India’s leading players in multimodal and marine logistics. Headquartered in Surat, Gujarat, our skilled technology experts constantly work to provide seamless logistics support to our clients, enabling them to focus on their core functions viz. manufacturing, marketing, etc. At SEROS, we offer a gamut of services, including warehousing, a multimodal network for distribution, warehouse management, first-mile, and last-mile delivery, and sea transportation.

SEROS group has multiple SBUs, each specializing in a unique set of skills:

Seros Multimodal

Our expertise lies in developing and implementing efficient solutions for cargo handling and transportation for various industries across geographies. We specialize in end-to-end solutions often including legs of freight thru a combination of rail-road-sea, and deployment of customized haulage equipment.

Seros Shipping

We own and operate 40+ vessels across the globe. The Company, in a very brief span, has emerged as one of the principal sea operators, having the largest Coastal Fleet of Vessels in India. Seros handles 8 Million tons of diversified cargo every year thru Road Rail & Sea.

Seros Offshore

We are experienced in offering value-added services for Offshore Projects where we have successfully serviced clients like Affcons, L&T, and ONGC. Along with our accommodation barge, we provide offshore services like Topside Revamp/ Modification works at platforms and Air Diving support activities.

Seros Engineering

Our in-house shipyard has 20+ years of experience serving clients such as the Indian coast guard, Reliance, Essar Ports, and Shipping Corporation of India. We are a GMB-certified facility. We can build/ repair all kinds of vessels up to 120 m in length. Repair Yard has a dry dock for ship repair and a slipway for shipbuilding with 10000 Sqm of area for all fabrication facilities and mechanical workshops. The Jetty site is exclusively available for afloat repairs and cargo handling.

Seros Energy

Our constant endeavor is to develop path-breaking ideas and technology to improve efficiencies in the Energy value chain and beyond. Our team is continually engaged in bringing to reality our innovative solutions leading to a step up in Seros’ services. This unit works at the junction of IT and engineering to bring to reality disruptive ideas and cutting-edge solutions. Seros operates sophisticated equipment for drilling gas and CBM.

SerosGreenLine

We are an environmentally-conscious company, helping the country in reducing its carbon footprint. With a wide range of services and owned assets in the Electric, CNG & LNG segments we are committed to being the catalyst helping the Nation transition to greener and cleaner fuels.

With an increasing industrial demand for alternate fuels, transportation of such fuels has emerged as a key part of the supply chain. Seros, with its strong asset base, has been making inroads in this sector. We have transported 25 Million + SCM of CNG in the Eastern part of India. Boasting one of the largest LNG fleets in India, we provide comprehensive LNG solutions across the country. We have transported 70000+ MT of LNG.

Role of SEROS Logistics in supporting the government’s mission to shift logistics and transport into 100% green and clean sources of energy.

India is targeting to reduce its carbon emissions by 30%–35% by 2030, and one of the aspects considered by the government is shifting logistics and transport to 100% green and clean energy sources. As mentioned in my last response, we are doing our bit at SEROS. Besides opting for the maritime method to operate between the western and eastern ports and reduce the traffic on the Indian highways, we are also maintaining a sustainable network while catering to customers’ end-to-end logistics requirements. Being one of India’s largest logistics companies, SEROS is actively adopting environmentally-conscious measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the logistics sector.  In fact, we are one of the first companies in India to use alternate fuels and EVs in heavy commercial vehicles. We are also forging alliances with SMEs to supply them with cleaner fuels like LNG as we expect more companies to do the same.

What is your total number of fleet/vessels at SEROS Logistics?

SEROS has a presence in both sea and land We operate 40+ marine assets and have a fleet of 150 + surface assets carrying diversified cargo across the nation.

How is SEROS powering the sustainable future in the logistics space?

At SEROS, our primary focus is on transforming the overall sector by switching to greener and cleaner fuels and providing sustainable and innovative logistics solutions. We are trying to move the traffic on the Indian highways, but industries that use coal or furnace oil also contribute heavily to carbon emissions besides vehicular pollution. Therefore, we are encouraging other companies to use alternative fuels like LNG/CNG. We are assisting them with a seamless supply to help them go green.

Tell us about your business model and future plans with respect to services.

Seros group is a premier logistics service provider in India. We strive toward simplifying the support requirements of our customers through our expertise in multi-modal routes and value-added services. Our aim is to enable our customers to focus on what they do best – manufacturing. With our systematic operations, backed by a robust information system, we ensure that the entire supply chain is geared towards value creation. Our competent team of professionals has expertise in planning and streamlining operations even in the most complex environments and difficult terrains.

What are the market size and opportunities?

Logistics is vast - from trucking to warehouse management and first-mile and last-mile delivery - and currently, the sector is valued at approximately $200 billion. Considering the rapid growth of e-commerce business, the industry is expected to further reach the $350 billion mark by 2025. I believe that the latest technology adoption will up the ante for the sector. Besides, the Indian government is also focusing on building connectivity through roads, dedicated freight corridors, and multimodal logistics parks, reiterating that the logistics industry is critical to economic growth. Initiatives like PM Gati Shakti will reduce the logistics costs immensely. The Unified Logistics Interface Program (ULIP) will help in lesser documentation and organized inventory management.

Infrastructure readiness and technology are the key drivers of the sector. Moving forward, technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), among others, will be leveraged by market leaders to provide smart logistic solutions.