Rahul Bhatia-led InterGlobe Enterprises and Atlanta-based logistics major UPS rolled out their logistics venture, Movin, in the capital recently. Aiming to tap the logistics industry in a more predictable, transparent and reliable manner, Movin boasts of helping businesses get more competitive in this space.

With its services that include day-definite as well as time-definite solutions, the venture claims to give businesses better predictability and planning for their operations. Ufku Akaltan, UPS President-Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Africa, and JB Singh, Director,

The Economic Times (ET): Why did you want to do this JV with InterGlobe for the Indian market? What was the idea behind it?Ufku Akaltan (UA): A typical joint venture brings in unique and a wealth of experience to the Indian market. Also in the aviation, hospitality and travel industries, InterGlobe is second to none. They have built enduring brands and they have connected these brands to customers. They were a perfect partner for us to bring Movin to the market together.

ET: Are you creating any physical infrastructure in India?UA: Movin is currently building and expanding its network, starting with our people, technology, processes and also partners. Long-term leases are a part of this game plan to make sure the network is aligned to our customer needs to provide a predictable and reliable service.

ET: How will Movin help in driving more efficiencies in logistic operations for Indias MSME sector?UA: Movin, with its product portfolio and technology driven processes, will be providing MSMEs the peace of mind for a predictable, controllable, plannable logistic flow. It is going to help the MSMEs reach their customers faster, which will improve their chances to grow and, in essence, enhance their cash flows. They will also have a much easier access to global trade and when customers are capable in a domestic environment, they start seeking opportunities to start exporting. At that point, they will integrate with our global network which will further help them grow their business.

ET: Movin seeks to make the supply chain more predictable which, in effect, will help a lot of businesses in the present environment. What kind of technological processes do you have in place to make this possible? JB Singh (JS): Movin will focus on its people, driving commitment through training, engagement and empowerment. Culture drives business, so that is fundamental and becomes a bedrock of our business. We have built the whole indigenised stack in technology. It is almost paperless where you can upload KYCs or any documentation seamlessly. It is really simple to use, which means even someone from a tier-II or a tier-III place can use it. We have a very large robust call centre and we are going to promise single call resolution. There is a whole repository where customers will have their own data on billings and everything which they can access in time.

It is all accessible to customers and it is linked to our entire back office. Everything that we see, the customers can see as well and so it is entirely transparent. Even aspects like our HR policies and how we manage our people everything is integrated into that.

A more important part is the processes. If there are solid processes in place, it drives efficiency and that drives value.

ET: The supply chain crisis has affected economies across the world. In the aftermath of such a crisis, how can such a brand help to alleviate that in some way? UA: When you have predictability and a reliable service from a logistics partner, that helps you surgically support your own customers with such a product. We

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Movin's predictable logistic flow will give MSMEs peace of mind: UPS' Ufku Akaltan - Economic Times