Amsterdam, 26 February 2008. On April 1st, parcel exchange between GLS, one of the three largest European CEP service providers, and Gati Limited, the leading logistics solutions provider on the Indian market, will begin. The two companies signed a partner agreement on 25 February 2008.

“Through our new partner, Gati Limited, our customers are linked to one of the leading express distribution and supply chain solutions companies in India“, says Rico Back, CEO of General Logistics Systems B.V., Amsterdam (GLS). “This means we are improving their access to a promising market.”

Multimodal transports

With its full-area coverage distribution network, only Gati Ltd. delivers to 594 out of 604 districts in India. The company has over 3,500 employees and operates with 2,000 business associates to provide these services. Freight and parcel shipments are as much a part of the portfolio as are warehousing and supply chain management solutions. In addition to road and rail-based transports, Gati operates closely with Air India to realise national air express deliveries. Ship transports are also available for freight and container transports in the Asia Pacific region. The company is listed on the Indian National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

“Among the great plus factors of our new partner is its excellent information technology”, says Saadi Al-Soudani, Managing Director International at GLS. “At Gati, shipment tracking via Internet as well as on demand delivery notification per SMS or email are standard services.” He says he is convinced that the global partner will meet GLS’ strict requirements with respect to quality: “Gati was the first company in India to receive ISO 9001 certification.“

EU network and reliability in high demand

During the contract signing meeting on February 25th in Delhi, Mahendra Agarwal, CEO of Gati Limited, also expressed his satisfaction with his company’s new partner: “In GLS, with its presence in 36 countries, we have found a partner who covers all the destinations relevant for our customers in Europe.” The Indian economy is on the upswing and exports come from an increasing number of branches. “Especially in electronics we are observing a growing demand for quick, reliable shipment of small parts. Its definite regular delivery times and quality-oriented network make GLS the right choice.”

Parcels from India are distributed by GLS through the airfreight office in Frankfurt as well as the central hub in Neuenstein, Germany, to the hubs of its subsidiaries and partners in Europe. In India, shipments from the GLS system first arrive at the central distribution center in Delhi. From there, Gati sends them to their respective destination via 19 express distribution centers. This all serves to bring the seventh largest country in the world, covering an area of 3.2 million square kilometres, with its 1.1 billion inhabitants, a lot closer to European parcel consignors.


Quality delivered by GLS

General Logistics Systems B.V., Amsterdam (GLS), is a Pan-European company providing reliable, high-quality parcel and express services as well as value-added logistics solutions. The company offers its services through wholly owned and partner companies in 36 European states, and is globally connected via contractual agreements. The GLS system consists of 32 central transhipment points, 655 depots and 12,000 employees. Some 17,800 vehicles are on route moving 311 million parcels annually for 220,000 customers throughout Europe. In the financial year 2006/07, GLS achieved revenues of 1.6 billion euros. GLS stands for “European Leader in Quality“. This is something that everyone working for GLS strives to achieve every day.