India Road Transportation Awards committee, today announced the national winners of the first ‘India Road Transportation Awards’ at a glittering ceremony organized by CEAT. The awards, which were presented in Mumbai, recognized cutting-edge process and innovations undertaken by fleet owners in the transport industry.
After narrowing down hundreds of submissions, an eminent Independent jury consisting of personalities such as Amit S. Kawoor, Head - Logistics & Customer Operations, Marico Ltd, Anand Mirchandani, Chief Editor, Transtopics, Anupam Bhatnagar, Vice President, Mahindra Logistics, Muthuraj Guruswamy, Consultant, Logistics Executive Recruitment Australia, Parari A. Patil, Vice President - Supply Chain & Business Development, Lupin Ltd., Pravin Puntambekar, Vice President, Shriram Transport Finance Company Ltd, Sanjay Mane, Independent Logistics & Transportation Consultant, Sudhanshu Kumar, Chief - Customer Service Division, Tata Steel (TISCO) and Vikram R. Srihari, Director, JCL Logistics Pvt. Ltd, SP Shah, President, FADA , had screened, tabulated, scored and selected the winners.
The National winners in each category include:
- Transport Personality of the Year : Ashok K Shah, V Trans (India) Ltd. Mumbai
- Youth Entrepreneur Achievers awards : Mukesh Haritash, Chetak Logistics Ltd. New Delhi
- Operational excellence : Vayudoot Road Carriers Pvt. Ltd. Pune
- Customer service : Bhorukas Logistics Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai
- Personnel management : V - Trans (India) Ltd. Mumbai
- Environmental conservation : VRL Logistics Ltd. Hubli
Paras Chowdhary, Managing Director, CEAT Ltd. said, "Road transport is the backbone of many industries. This is a sector that was relatively unorganized a few years back and is fast becoming a professional industry with large players showing keen business interest in the transport industry. It is necessary to recognize the efforts of fleet owners towards innovations in operation, customer satisfaction and their initiatives towards environment conservation. IRTA as a platform will motivate fleet owners to work in a more organized and professional manner."
"The Awards encompassed participation from large and medium fleet owners, who showcased their innovations and initiatives across various award categories. Their case studies were critically evaluated by 3 rounds of jury deliberations, across a range of evaluation parameters, to determine the ultimate winners." Said, Ashish Pherwani- Associate Director, Ernst & Young Pvt. Ltd – Process Advisors & Official Tabulators (IRTA).
Anand Mirchandani, Chief Editor, Transtopics and Jury member, IRTA said, "I am very happy that someone has stood up to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the road transport industry. Putting these awards in place was a very big challenge considering the sheer size of the industry. CEAT has done a good job in initiating these awards. I am sure that these awards will not only boost the confidence of the winners, but will also provide encouragement to transporters and transport companies to excel in their work."
"The transport industry is a highly neglected sector despite the fact that it forms the backbone of any economy. Such awards will help get this industry better and due recognition and will help identify the leaders in the segment. This will set a benchmark for better performance by this segment in future." Said, P. A. Patil, Vice President - Supply Chain & Business Development, Lupin Ltd. and Jury member, IRTA.
Muthuraj Guruswamy, Consultant, Logistics Executive Recruitment Australia and Jury member, IRTA. said, "These awards will bring about a paradigm shift in the industry that desperately needs to evolve to a new level that will ultimately be in line with global best practices. We need to prove to ourselves that we are in par with the rest of the world in this industry."
" This was the first of its kind platform for the transporter and encouraging professionals will go long way in the highly fragmented industry at current state."Said, Amit S. Kawoor, Head - Logistics & Customer Operations, Marico Ltd and Jury member, IRTA.
Anupam Bhatnagar, Vice President, Mahindra Logistics and Jury member, IRTA said, "While business in India has changed radically, the fact of the matter is that transport as an industry is still lagging behind and needs to catch up. The IRTA award very clearly demonstrates CEAT’s commitment towards innovation and environment conservation. I am sure that in the coming years the participation from across the industry will get enhanced and we will see a radical transformation in the overall transportation industry."
Through IRTA, CEAT intends to provide the transporters a benchmark for excellence within the industry, give stature & recognition to industry players and help bring out innovations through shared knowledge of the industry.
The awards were adjudged for the following categories:
|
Operational
Excellence: |
Environment
Conservation: |
Customer
Experience: |
Personnel
management: |
Transport Personality
of the year: |
Youth Entrepreneur Achievers awards: |
|
For transporters who have done innovations which led to increased profits, improved operational efficiency, maintenance, scheduling, cost reduction etc |
For transporters who have undertaken innovations which led to reduction in the harmful impact on the environment |
For transporters who have improved customer satisfaction |
For transporters who have improved working conditions, health, safety or job satisfaction of employees / drivers. |
For transporters who have made the most valuable contribution to the road transport industry. This is a Jury nominated award. |
For a transporter below 30 years of age, who has created a significant impact in the Indian road transport industry. This is a Jury nominated award. |