Not many people remember the long, lonely miles a successful man had to travel before he arrived where he is today. Life wasn’t easy for Mr. Kuldip Chauhan, Partner, Sanket Transport LLP, who saw his father as an taxi-driver making ends meet. Today, while he speaks to MOTORINDIA from his plush home at Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, Mr. Chauhan reminisces his initial days and how he made one of the most indelible companies in the reefer container business known as Sanket Transport LLP.
Dabbling various odd-jobs Mr. Chauhan got into operation with Dolphin Marine known for innovation in containers with trailer-slung gen-sets., where he acquired the knowledge and the innate ability to learn the tricks of the trade in reefer container logistics. He says: “I used to handle the operations, human resource and also started assisting the supply chain of vessel loading and unloading.
“However, I always wanted to grow and not limit my capabilities. Hence after 3 years of service, in 1997, I forayed into the container transportation business of my own and named it Sanket Transport.” he added.
Sanket Transport started functioning from a small shop with hired gen-set vehicles from other transporters. After a couple of years, Mr. Chauhan brought his first set of vehicles on a meagre deposit and started operations on Veraval-Porbandar, Zahirabad, Aurangabad, Goa, Ratnagiri in the meat and fisheries segment. He also ventured into transporting grapes. “Meat and fishery industry are seasonal business and usually slow down after the monsoon. I caught onto grapes as it helped me sail through the remaining months from January to March, as exports of grapes were really high and get some really good traction starting with working with Euro fruits on Sangli – Mumbai and Nashik – Mumbai,” revealed Mr. Chauhan.
Growing with gratitude
With the ever-increasing worldwide demand for drugs and medications, India has been one of the favoured sourcing locations for medicine, owing to cost-effectiveness and efficacy of the formulations. Products manufactured at the Indian hubs of several multinational pharma companies find their way to the US, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, Africa, Far East and Australia mainly through Nhava Sheva, Mundra ports. Sanket provides temperature-controlled reefer transportation logistics services to these companies with minimum turn around time (TAT).
Says Mr. Chauhan: “Container exports & imports in western India are mainly routed through Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Kandla ports, and the important destinations linked to these ports include, Baddi, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Ankleswar, Surat, Dahanu, Shirwal, Pune, Aurangabad, Nasik, Pithampur, Hyderabad, Baramati, Goa and Bangalore, and we have been consistently delivering efficient service on these routes.”
However, starting with 38 containers, the business grew to 51 for grapes, with goodwill from the well-wishers and good support from the clients. The cash flow increased gradually and the company by 2003 had nine vehicles of its own. Today, the founder’s 25 years of experience reflects in the fine-tuning of operations, and the group now offers transportation solutions mainly to the pharmaceutical sector, requiring gen-set equipped trailers to move export and import of reefers under strictly-controlled temperature and humidity.
The move to the pharma sector was out of compulsion and unplanned for the company, as an ambiguity overloading issues in meat and fishery segment grew, the company shifted its focus to the pharma sector with its first assignment with Cadila Healthcare. “We were quite happy then and even today to indulge in the pharmaceutical sector as the load was around 4 to 7 tonnes, and although voluminous load, it was never over 17 tonnes. Later we got business from Sanofi India, ACG World Wide and other reputed brands. Simultaneously, grapes transportation was going strong, hence we grew,” informs Mr. Chauhan.
Keeping an eye on its progress
Having worked at different levels Mr. Chauhan knew the nitty-gritty of handling reefer containers. He knew the ins and outs of refrigerated units, compressors, etc.
“We have made a concerted effort to hire and train the best staff in the industry. We take safety and training very seriously and are continually monitoring our fleet from the time we pick the product up until it is delivered. Temperature control in pharmaceuticals is conveyed to the staff and people so that utmost care is taken. Additionally, we have contacts with repair and maintenance teams at various yards to take care of any emergencies, and mobile vans are on alert to take care of any minor breakdowns,” Mr. Chauhan observes.
The eye for constant improvement made Mr. Chauhan invest also in quality solutions. They have sailed over challenging waves with respect to axles and tyre wear and tear with SAE SMB axles, and Mr. Chauhan says: “We have worked with Mr. Vishnu Jadhav and went ahead with their SAE SMB axles, which have worked really well. There was no need to hub grease their axles upto 1.5 lakhs km. It didn’t cause any wear and tear to the tyres either. The tyre life has increased. All 30 axles from SAE SMB are giving us great return on investment.”
Currently, the company boasts of a fleet strength of 65 GPS-enabled articulated Tata and Ashok Leyland 40 feet trailers, all equipped with 25 KVA 3-phase 440V-49 Amp diesel gen-sets {Single & Double} to power the reefer refrigeration systems.
“We also have a network of attached trailers to supplement requirements during times of excessive orders & demand. The name we have earned over the years is on the back of a versatile and resourceful team of talented managers, at the office and in the field. Although driver challenge is the real issue in our area, we are fortunate to have dedicated drivers and escorts with route familiarity who contribute a lot towards efficient fleet functioning, ensuring punctuality with timely pick-up and delivery of consignments. God willing, if the support and diligence continues, our turnover of Rs. 18 crores posted in FY18-19 will grow to Rs. 25 crores in FY19-20,” acknowledges Mr. Chauhan.