Aneel Gambhir CFO, BLUE DART EXPRESS LTD.

''Our goal has been to turn crisis Into opportunity''

What changes have you seen in your supply chain over the last year as compared to the pre-pandemic times?

The biggest change undoubtedly has been acclimating to the new normal and the role technology has played in helping us move towards a contactless and socially distanced future. We needed to secure every inch of the supply chain, keeping our colleagues’ and customers’ health and safety on priority. Therefore, from the first mile, through the middle mile and till the last mile, our teams were briefed every single day on the precautionary measures that were to be followed. Most importantly, our innovation only propelled further as we consistently tried to be creative with technology, allowing for it to do more of the heavy-lifting, especially in the last mile; thereby leveraging our workforce to do more fulfilling tasks.

Initiatives such as the contactless delivery service that enabled digital payments for our customers or the recently launched Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium that will use drones to provide a robust healthcare infrastructure in the remotest parts of the country are our way of providing solutions that help our customers shop with us without having to worry about contagion, and also help our teams work without feeling vulnerable to the virus. To answer your question, the biggest change I have seen is the accelerated use of technology and creativity as well as the urgency with which it is being leveraged.

What are the major challenges faced by your organization and how are you managing them?