Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?

21 years of experience in surface transportation (express distribution, FTL, PTL & E-commerce). Worked both in domestic and cross-border transportation. Started working as Sales Manager, then country head -Nepal. After that, the Business and Operations head for the SAARC surface transformation, then the Zonal Head for the North, Central, and East Zone. 

Q2. When you compare metros, Tier 1, and Tier 2/3 markets in your zone, what distinct logistics behaviours or growth patterns stand out to you?

Metro FTL/PTL business is almost stagnant; however, the warehousing business is growing. Due to rapid growth in E-commerce, the last-mile delivery business is also expanding, but the fastest growth is in Dark stores and quick commerce. FTL business is growing in Tier 1 Cities; the rest of the behavior is the same as Metro. Another change is a speedy growing E-commerce business in even Tier 2-3 Cities. Compared to other zones, East Zone Logistics business is growing fast in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Q3. What major opportunities do you see emerging in your zone over the next 2–3 years that logistics players aren’t fully capitalizing on yet?

Northeast India is rapidly growing as an industrial and organic agricultural base in India. Bihar is also going to be an agri product base for products like Makhana / Vegetables, etc.

Q4. What areas of the warehouse process still rely heavily on manual intervention, and how do you see AI bridging those gaps?

Sorting and stacking of products are still very much manual, where AI can help a lot.

Q5. Across categories like pharma, electronics, auto spares, fashion, FMCG, and industrial goods, how do you see the contribution mix evolving in your zone, and what proportions stand out to you?

FMCG: Due to rising disposable incomes, rapid urbanization, and increased brand awareness in both urban and rural areas, demand is rising, so the transportation requirement is also growing both for incoming and outgoing from the east zone. 
Pharmaceuticals: Sikkim and West Bengal (especially Siliguri) are fast emerging as a Pharma hub.
Auto Spares / Automotive: Due to one major automotive brand, Jharkhand is already an Auto Spare hub.
Industrial Goods: Odisha contributes a high share to GSDP (43% in 2023-24). 
Electronics: Northeast and W.B. are leading the Electronics Goods sector.
Fashion: Kolkata is the base of manufacturing for some well-known clothing and leather brands.

Q6. As you look at the next 2–3 years, how do you see the competitive landscape reshaping itself in your region and which companies do you expect to play a more significant role?

Due to various political and social factors, earlier, most traditional transporters avoided the East Zone. Still, as the law-and-order situation improved, more and more transporters began entering the East, leading to better service quality and competitive pricing. Now, only companies with good service quality will survive in the future. 

Q7. If you were an investor looking at companies within the space, what critical question would you pose to their senior management?

How good are you at vendor management, and what are your service quality standards?