TCIEXPRESS is a specialist and leader in express distribution in India. The entire spectrum of services comprising domestic and international air, e-commerce, priority and reverse express services to the consumers’ fingertips. Award winning Managing Director, Mr Chander Agarwal chats to us about how he has contributed to the business.

The history of TCIEXPRESS can be traced to 1958 when one man, one truck and one office came up in Calcutta, India. It may not have been a very inspiring effort but clearly the small fledgling was destined for bigger things. It was not long before it grew into a company of substance, and later still, into one of India’s leading Express transportation, and logistics provider with a global presence.

Today, it has spawned into a multi-office, multi-vehicle organisation with reach in 202 countries and the ability to service 670 of India’s 675 districts. There are more than 2,000 skilled personnel and a slew of initiatives that make TCIEXPRESS a powerful brand.

Known in the country for on-time delivery services, TCIEXPRESS makes it a reality by following well-connected routes for prompt movement of cargo through a hub-and-spoke distribution model. The company services clients across all industry verticals such as automobile, pharmaceuticals, retail, electrical and energy, telecom, engineering, and e-commerce industry to name a few.

According to Chander, the logistics industry has evolved over the years. He examines how he thinks the industry has altered since TCIExpress was founded and how this has affected business.

“One of the shifts that I have seen is in the adoption of technology. I think the industry has moved beyond the old practices and has become much more organised. There is still a large scope for automation, robotics, and IIOT which I see becoming a daily requirement of the industry. We ourselves have invested heavily in technology and this becomes our differentiator among others.

“Additionally, the new age businesses such as e-commerce have grown so rapidly across the world that it is difficult to imagine a world now without it. Given liberalisation, the government’s efforts to improve infrastructure and connectivity and increasing ease of doing business in India, I see much more happening in the near and distant future. We are getting future ready too and will strive to maintain our leadership position in the market.”

“The industry is going through an exciting phase. The rise of e-commerce and online platforms are boosting demand and generating the constant urgency for mass delivery of products. The market for logistics is definitely growing at an exponential pace and will continue for the next few years.

“Having said that I also foresee certain challenges in the current environment which might hamper the growth of the industry. Firstly, the infrastructure needs to be strengthened and modernized provisioning huge demands. Secondly, some players still adhere to the conventional mode of operations which affects overall industry growth. They will need to adopt the next practices in order to be compliant and adept with changing global norms.”
Chander believes that technology is important to maintain the highest standards, however overall in the sector it is not always used efficiently and effectively.

“I feel technology is inadequate in this sector. Other industries have understood the need for automation and have started deploying advanced technologies such as robotics, Internet of Things to name a few. We should understand the need of the hour and adapt to these models to be future ready now.

“At TCI Express, we believe technology is a significant pillar that we need to quickly adopt in our industry. Industry estimates suggest that globally the use of UAV’s or drones in the sector is estimated to grow between $1.2 and $1.5 billion by 2020. This certainly provides an enormous window of opportunity for logistics service providers to grow in their respective geographies. Technology is a pivotal enabler for the progress of any industry and with the right regulations formulated, they can be a formidable combination for success.”

With regards to his own career, Chander speaks about his background and what challenges emerged when starting out in business.

“Coming from a business family, it was only imperative that I first learned the threads of the business. The business acumen was already inherited but before taking the leap at the top, I started my journey started with Transfreight USA, a 3PL specializing in lean logistics, primarily for Toyota Motor Vehicles USA to learn the business challenges.

“Working outside the family business has given me an ‘outside-inside’ view of the business and has helped to gain valuable intelligence on the business. After Transfreight, I came back to join as Joint Managing Director of the TCI Group where I was responsible for growing TCI’s presence in emerging economies like Brazil, Indonesia, and Africa as well as set up best practices for the company. This again helped me to gain subsequent knowledge to build a separate business entity altogether as a Managing Director.

“Every stage of my professional life has been a different learning curve and addressing these challenges through them have enabled better judgement and vision. Usually when one inherits a business, it’s not easy to live up to the expectations laid out owing to the earlier generation’s success; here I first learnt the tricks of the trade outside and then returned enriched with knowledge and skills to address them back in India. Looking at The changing dynamics of the India Logistic Industry, I created TCIExpress as one of the fastest and reliable express distribution business.”

Aside from the challenges he has overcome, he also lists his father as the person who has inspired him by instilling some key principles into him from a young age as Chander explains.
“I think the attribute that makes me a successful managing director are firstly compassion and strong morals which I have inherited from my father who has always been my inspiration. I have seen him as an honest, principled and visionary leader who has won love and earned respect over the years. He inspired me to evolve to a leader and lessons learnt from him will continue to hold good even for the future. Vision is that one key ingredient without which we can never be able to look at the future.”

Heading into the future, Chander expresses his thoughts on the intended goals of the business.
“We aspire to grow with timely investments. We are nimble, agile, prepared and are always evolving. I see myself as among the change makers of this industry and earning my respect as a valued industry leader. I think we are headed for an interesting time in the industry and the logistic sector is one of the key pillars that contribute to the GDP of the country’s economy. It will be quite exciting to see how the industry transforms post the implementation of GST.”

Company: TCI EXPRESS LIMITED
Name: Mr Chander Agarwal
Web Address: www.tciexpress.in
Address: TCI House, 69, Institutional Area, Sector-32, Gurgaon-122007(Haryana) (India) Telephone: +91 8860763272