UT Worldwide close to sewing up big deals

Bangalore-based logistics company and air exports major UT Worldwide (India), the wholly-owned subsidiary of UTi Worldwide in the US is in talks with a couple of automotive companies in Europe planning to enter India. While one is a carmaker, the other is a large Tier-1 company that meets the needs of major vehicle manufacturers. UT Worldwide hopes to get approval in three months.

Meanwhile, to cater to growing demand from the auto industry in India, the company has recently created a special five-member team, stationed at critical hubs like Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai, to provide consolidation services. Shesh Kulkarni, president, says this will help optimise services by providing customised solutions. He believes initiatives like this will treble revenue in India in three years.

BIG GLOBAL CLIENTS

At present, 25 percent of total business comes from the automotive industry on the lines of its parent, UTi Worldwide which handles a host of manufacturers including Ford Motor Company and General Motors. To strengthen coverage in India, UT Worldwide is keen on setting up new offices in the the northern, western and southern parts of the country. The existing setup of 18 offices spread across the country caters to a large clientele including Automac, BorgWarner, Tenneco, Ingersol Rand and Visteon.

In terms of logistics, the company offers complete solutions covering the entire spectrum from vendors’ vendor to suppliers’ supplier. To offer customised solutions, it participates in the design process involved in supply chain management that is linked to clients’ business vision. UT Worldwide offers cost-effective solutions by focusing on reduction of the inventory cycle and increasing delivery process.

Another focus area is on reducing obsolescence by not building up stocks and enhancing visibility. Further, it offers compatible MIS (management information system) for easy interactivity. “Overall, we give a macroview to customers to optimise cost and eliminate waste," says Kulkarni.

GIANT AT WORK

UTi Worldwide is a $2.3 billion international, global integrated logistics company which provides supply chain management and optimisation solutions in air and ocean freight forwarding, contract logistics, distribution, and customs brokerage. It is also engaged in consulting, coordination of purchase orders and customised management services.

The company supports its clients in designing and implementing solutions that improve the predictability and reduce the overall costs of logistics. Its global client base ranges from large multinational enterprises to smaller local businesses in industries with unique supply chain requirements such as automotive, apparel, chemical, pharmaceutical and technology.

It offers customers a suite of proprietary supply chain software applications, called UTi eMpower, to facilitate on-line execution and monitoring of supply chain activities. By using this, customers can monitor the placement of orders, track shipment status, and verify customs clearing. UTi eMpower also provides a link to logistics systems in order to plan and optimise supply chain solutions for their clients.

The company, which has freight forwarding offices in 264 cities and 120 logistics centres in 58 countries, serves customers in about 75 more countries through 160 independent agent-owned offices, of which approximately 140 are exclusive agents. Furthermore, it has alliances with other global companies to provide seamless and totally integrated solutions that enables it to manage clients’ entire supply chain.