The TCI Group, with revenues of over Rs. 2,800 crores, has grown to become India’s leading integrated supply chain solutions provider with its global presence. As services are getting more and more specialized and segmented, customized solutions are the need of the hour.
TCI’s range of services encompasses the entire gamut of supply chain services from the point of origin to the final end customer. The company has been regularly introducing new and innovative services. From multi-modal transportation (road, rail, air, sea) to express delivery solutions, from freight forwarding and customs clearances to warehouse management services, each of the services is linked under a single Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for maximum benefit to clients.
On a standalone basis, the revenue of the company grew by 8.7 per cent to Rs. 2,2091.3 mn, while profit before tax increased by 22.0 per cent to Rs. 1,011.9 mn. Profit after tax also improved by 22.5 per cent to Rs. 759.4 mn. On a consolidated basis, revenues increased by 8.5 per cent to Rs. 24,257.8 mn. While profit before tax moved up by 15.1 per cent to Rs. 1,142.1 mn, profit after tax for the year grew by 13.7 per cent to Rs. 816.2 mn.
Though only for operational purposes, TCI has different business verticals which operate as individual entities which create synergies to offer a broad range of end-to-end customized services to a wide range of domestic and international clients as a combined unit.
TCI Freight
Spanning nearly six decades, with locations all over India, TCI has developed an eminent national presence in the cargo and freight industry. The fleet of 2,400 trailers and trucks offers a range of economically-viable options, not just to the customer but to the company as well.
TCI Freight provides comprehensive multimodal solutions for any cargo dimension or product segment. Supported by 600 owned offices, it offers from Full Truck Load (FTL) to less than Truck Load (LTL), Sundry, Project Heavy Haul (PHH), while its rail logistics provide services such as containers, wagons and special automotive wagons to full train movement. For over dimensional cargo, TCI has its own hydraulic axles and trailers.
A large number of owned and leased vehicles transport goods of varying dimensions. Tracking and GPS technology for shipment and vehicles assures customers of reliability and access, anytime, anywhere. Combined with customer care cells handling all queries efficiently, clients have access to their shipment with IT applications that cater to the logistics industry.
The company has also started a new service specifically for the countries in the SAARC region that includes transportation, warehousing and customs clearance through single window solutions.
The revenue growth for the year was 4.8 per cent as compared to the previous year. The division expects a growth of 15 per cent over the coming year. Its business strategy has been modified to reduce losses in the division by increasing the focus on higher margin, Sundry & Less than Truck Load (LTL) business, to utilize the fixed cost of branches, hubs and manpower.
TCI XPS
Delivering to 13,000 locations in India and more than 200 countries worldwide, TCI XPS recognizes the fundamental role that security, reliability and speed play in businesses and individual client’s needs. The incremental pace of e-commerce has been crucially beneficial with 20,000 deliveries a day, and growing. Equipment like hydraulic dock lifts, mobile cranes and hand pallet trucks at hub centers, ease movement and storage of goods. Over 3,000 committed professionals form the core strength TCI XPS.
Complete automation at each step ensures efficient delivery of services at TCI XPS. With the increase in use of IT applications, misplacement of consignments, claims and general hauling time is considerably reduced. TCI continues to stay ahead with the emergent industry trends and its technologies, especially with the promising IT applications.
TCI XPS achieved 9.8 per cent growth last year and contributed almost 30 per cent to the revenue mix. The operating cost has decreased by almost 20 bps during the year. Claims were down 30 per cent, while transit time was reduced by 50 per cent. To ensure constant contact with clients across all metropolitan and major cities, the division conducted many Customer Engagement Meets wherein customers were given a platform for direct inputs and feedback to improve services.
The company is projecting a business growth of 20-22 per cent next year mainly due to the continued growth in FMCG, pharmaceutical, E-commerce and auto sectors. The division will continue to improve internal efficiency and focus on e-commerce and high consumption-driven sectors.
TCI SCS
TCI Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) provides customized, specialized solutions to varied and critical sectors of the economy like auto, Hi Tech & Telecom (ICE), Health Care, Retail & Consumer Products, Chemicals and Cold Chain.
With eight fulfilment centres, TCI SCS serves the complete e-commerce chain, handling 100,000 unique orders and 20,000 deliveries a day, catering to both B2B and B2C customers. Its recent foray into cold chain warehousing and distribution of perishable items takes into account time and temperature sensitivity for transportation of perishable goods.
The 10.5 million sq.ft. warehousing facility with own storage and material handling infrastructure enables TCI SCS to provide its expertise in modern warehouse and distribution center management across all verticals. The division also has a customized fleet of 1,100 carriers, including 50 refrigerated trucks.
With a growth rate of 13.2 per cent, the division contributed 27.7 per cent to TCI’s revenue mix for this fiscal year. The division has emerged as a major warehousing player with specialized warehouse services and capabilities to serve multi-product and multi-segment clients. High growth is reflected in managing E-fulfillment to E-commerce centers and their supporting operations.
TCI SCS is likely to grow by 15-20 per cent with improvement in overall economy. The identified growth sectors are Retail – Apparel, FMCG and E-commerce where the company aims to be a significant player in warehousing.
TCI Global
With door-to-door deliveries to over 200 countries, TCI Global provides a single-window advantage to its customers through a dedicated network of international offices in the region, besides having strategic presence in high growth and emerging markets in Asia, Latin America (Brazil) and Africa (Nigeria).
With over a decade of expertise, TCI Global offers its customers end-to-end services ranging from customs clearance, international inbound and outbound freight handling (air and sea), primary and secondary warehousing and redistribution, third party logistics and multimodal (air, surface and sea) services.