What makes a company supreme? More than profits, turnover, and net worth, the most important factors are customers’ satisfaction, trust, recommendations, employee empowerment, and awards the company receives that make it supreme.
CJ Darcl Logistics Limited presented with numerous awards by several renowned organizations, the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Krishan Kumar Agarwal, is proud on the company’s achievements and feels honored to share the following list:
*2023 Outstanding Contribution in Logistics at the 10th EPC World Award.
*2023 Excellence Award (Green Supply Chain Company) by ASSOCHAM.
*2023 Best Multimodal Transport and Logistics Company by DDP Publications Private Limited at India Cargo Awards, 2023.
*2023 Certification as a Great Workplace by Great Place to Work Institute, India.
*2022 Award for partnering and driving sustainability and innovation by Pepsico.
*2022 Certification as a Great Workplace by Great Place to Work Institute, India.
*2021 Award in Container Logistics – CFS, ICD, Rail & Logistics Park at the CII Scale Awards, 2021.
*2021 The Best Brands 2021 by the Economic Times.
*2021 Most Trusted Logistics & Transportation Company of the Year Award at the Nation’s Business Pride Awards 2021, organized by Topgallant Media.
*2020 Exemplary Position under the Road Transportation Category at the CII Scale Awards by the CII and the CII Institute of Logistics.
*2019 Exemplary Position under the Road Transportation Category at the CII Scale Awards by the CII and the CII Institute of Logistics.
*2019 The 25 most trusted logistics companies in India by The CEO Magazine.
*2019 Best Performer of the Year (2018-2019) by Godrej Consumer Products Limited.
*2018 Most Innovative Logistics Provider of the Year by NASSCOM, CSCMP and SIMM.
*2017 7th Supply Chain and Logistics Summit & Excellence Award.
*2017 Most Valued Transportation Partner by Jamshedpur Continuous Annealing and Processing Company Private Limited (JCAPCL), a Joint Venture company of Tata Steel Limited and Nippon Steel Corporation.
The Supremacy Benchmarks
The reason behind this supremacy, according to Mr. Krishan Kumar, is, “Our employees are key to the success for our business.”
CJ Darcl has always been an employee first organization and testimony of this is the fact that a large volume of the employees has been associated with the organization for over two decades now therefore makes them well versed with the market requirements.
CJ Darcl believes in the philosophy of ‘humanizing efficiency’, which is at the heart of improving the resilience of end-to-end supply chains. “This philosophy emphasizes embracing new technologies and innovation while keeping the human touch at the core of our business,” insists Krishan Kumar, whose early interest in his family’s business led to the remarkable expansion of CJ Darcl Logistics. In the 1960s, when ethical issues marked the transport sector, he seeded transparency and loyalty. With initial bank funding, CJ Darcl started its transportation journey with a contract from Digboi Refinery. Over the years, the company, formerly Darcl Logistics, grew significantly to CJ Darcl Logistics, focusing on operational efficiency and a low-profit margin strategy, earning a strong reputation in B2B ventures.
The company also places great importance on talent development and employee welfare. By investing in skill enhancement programs and creating a positive work environment, CJ Darcl Logistics nurtures a highly skilled and motivated workforce. This commitment translates into better service delivery and overall customer satisfaction. Notably, CJ Darcl Logistics has been certified as a Great Place to Work for the past two consecutive years,, and it takes pride in its long-serving employees who have been associated with the organization for more than two decades.
In addition to its business operations, CJ Darcl Logistics actively engages with local communities through various corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. From supporting education programs to contributing to hospitals and animal shelters, the company strives to make a positive impact and establish itself as a responsible and caring corporate citizen.
Transformational Leadership
The logistics landscape is continually evolving. To ensure that the company remains adaptable and ahead of industry trends, CJ Darcl is strategically focused on improving logistics costs, closely monitoring competitors, and leveraging its extensive reach and generational experience in the unorganized road transport sector. Key success factors include service quality, reliability, competitive pricing, and staying attuned to industry trends to address customer requirements promptly.
The growth strategy involves
- FTL transportation leadership,
- Accelerated multimodal business growth,
- New venture strengthening, and
- Becoming a total logistics provider.
CJ DARCL Logistics has made significant investments in specialized containers, emphasizing sustainability. It’s executional strategies include customer retention, brand building, diversified multimodal solutions, and adapting to regulatory changes.
Nurturing factors like diversified revenue streams, cross-selling, skilled human capital, innovation, technology, and process efficiencies are paramount for sustained success in the dynamic logistics industry, believes Krishan Kumar, whose leadership style is recognized as a driving force behind the company’s achievements. Shedding light on the same, he says that leadership is not just about creating a vision but about inspiring people to follow it because of its ability to transform and better the company and its people.
Through strong communication skills and an in-depth understanding of their team, a leader can fulfil their goals despite the obvious challenges of resistance to change, a change in market dynamics, etc. Like any other industry on the cusp of a transformation, leaders in the logistics industry must adapt, innovate, change, and even delegate to keep abreast with the ever-changing landscape.
Techno-Beating Cores
The essence of logistics lies in seamless SCM and efficient delivery mechanisms. To keep providing excellent service 24*7*365 days, CJ Darcl Logistics, a leader in Full Truck Load, employs an asset-right model with a robust network of Eight lakh trucks through trusted vendors and owns a diverse fleet of 990+ vehicles and 1350+ containers.
The company excels in end-to-end project solutions, utilizing a dedicated team for route survey, optimization, and project management. The company uses advanced technology, including GPS and sim-based tracking, to enhance vehicle identification and improve delivery mechanisms. The company has also established a call centre service for any query or information related to the company to strengthen its communication with external stakeholders, customers, vendors, and partners.
CJ Darcl has also integrated SAP S/4 HANA for finance, a Transport Management System for operational efficiency, a Warehousing Management System for inventory control, and various software applications for holistic organizational functions.
Sharing their core services, Krishan Kumar says, “We are one of the leading domestic multimodal logistics solutions companies in India, with market leadership in FTL vertical in terms of revenue for Fiscal 2023. Our logistics services with multimodal capabilities across verticals include
(i) Road/FTL transportation;
(ii) Rail/multimodal transportation;
(iii) Warehousing and distribution (“W&D”) and integrated logistics solutions (including project logistics, third-party logistics (“3PL”) and freight forwarding); and
(iv) Other services (including air cargo transportation and shipping/coastal transportation).”
“We have Pan-India operations covering 5,200+ locations through our network of 187 branch offices as of March 31, 2023.”
A Distinctive Asset Right Model
The key differentiator distinguishing CJ Darcl Logistics from its competitors is its end-to-end logistics solutions customized to their customers’ needs. The organisation is authorised to book air cargo across major airlines operating in India. It invested hugely in getting special multi-dimensional containers per the client’s requirements. Providing dedicated and Multiuser Warehousing facilities and availability at different strategic locations helps organizations plan their storage with last-mile delivery options by opting for Contract Logistics. These are also the USPs that uplift the company among its competitors. CJ Darcl strategically works on the Asset Right Model, which reduces the company’s liability.
CJ Darcl has achieved remarkable success. Some of its major projects include
- Project:NPCIL Kudankulam.
- Project:Chenab Rail Bridge.
- Project and Material:GIRDER SHIFTED TO PUNE METRO & CHENNAI METRO SITE.
- Project and Material:ISRO CRANE MOVEMENT TO TALCHER SUPER THERMAL POWER STATION.
- Distance covered:ISRO THIRUVANTHAPURAM, KERALA TO ANGUL, ORISSA (1950 Kms).
- Project and Material:PROJECT FOR DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR, Wooden sleeper.
- Project and Material:IMPORT of HEAVIES BREAKBULK – power plant equipment.
In the realm of logistics, technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing efficiency. Sharing his experience on the same, Krishan Kumar says they actively promote a ‘technology-first’ culture to scale the business efficiently and improve the customer experience. “We are transitioning from traditional operations to technology-based practices to expedite technology adoption.” This proactive approach prepares them for scaling their business while enhancing the experiences of their customers and business partners. “By investing in advanced technologies, we position ourselves to venture into logistics-tech businesses and further expand our capabilities and offerings.”
Pursuing Perfection to Conquer the Future
CJ DARCL Logistics have a strategic intent to advance the development of their technology systems. To achieve this, they intend to automate major processes within their businesses further, leading to improved process efficiency, enhanced asset productivity, cost reduction, and delivery of a distinct and valuable proposition to our customers. Their strategic focus involves leveraging a cloud-based platform to improve operational efficiency and responsiveness to evolving customer demands. The company intends to employ various process improvement tools and techniques to achieve and sustain progress. “Our decentralized operations spanning 187 branch offices will become centrally digitized by leveraging technology, which will further improve the operational efficiencies,” informs Krishan Kumar.
In keeping with its agile, responsible, collaborative and customer-centric principles, CJ Darcl aims to become India’s No. 1 Logistics Service Provider by 2027 while believing in humanizing efficiency.
Krishan Kumar says they are committed to reflecting high standards of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) corporate behaviour as they believe it enables long-term sustainable growth. They endeavour to provide solutions with a reduced environmental footprint, allowing our customers to achieve sustainable development objectives. They strive to achieve a target of ‘zero accidents’ toward hired and owned fleets.
In 2023, CJ Darcl agreed on advanced fleet and driver safety solutions, including installing devices to monitor driver and fleet behaviour. Further, it has a dedicated integrated management system team to watch and discover the root cause of accidents, suggest preventive action, and implement it. “We believe that our customer-centric approach, valuing relationships with our business partners and relying on our management’s experience, has led to our growth over the years,” he concludes.
