Tag: Blue Dart

Digitalising deliveries across Bharat: Customers can now use what3words across all Blue Dart Platforms

Blue Dart Express Limited, South Asia’s premier express air-integrated transportation and distribution express logistics company, announced that it has equipped its platforms with what3words location technology. Now, Blue Dart stakeholders can add their what3words address in the address section of the ‘My Blue Dart’ App, Blue Dart website and On the Move (OTM) platform to enable them to specify a very precise delivery location—be it the front door of their home/ office, a specific apartment complex entrance, or a tucked-away side passage.

In India, addresses are, as practice, slotted under pin codes, which are associated with delivery post offices. These cover very broad areas with the chances of street names being duplicated or incorrect. This makes it difficult for customers to specify precisely where a delivery needs to be made, thus leading to a time-consuming exercise for delivery agents. The technology that aids what3words has been designed to solve this. It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words: a what3words address.

For example, ///swimmer.kindness.habits are the what3words location for Blue Dart Head Office in Andheri, Mumbai. By typing these three words on the what3words portal or website, one can easily find, share and navigate to the location from anywhere in the world.  The technology is also available offline and in 54 languages, including 12 South Asian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Nepali, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Odia.

Of the initiative, Ketan Kulkarni, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Dart, says, ” Given the customer centricity values that Blue Dart carries, we partnered with what3words to stand true to our brand commitment of Customer Convenience and Delight. The three-word addressing will not only provide a seamless last mile delivery but will also increase delivery efficacy by reaching the precise location (within 3m of space) as specified by the customer. We believe that as the use of what3words grows, it will provide a unique way for us to deliver to specific locations, particularly in areas with informal addresses.”

On the partnership, Chris Sheldrick, what3words CEO and Co-Founder, adds, “What3words is the ideal technology for deliveries in a market like India where addressing is complex and often inaccurate. Our partnership with Blue Dart means that anyone, no matter how hard their home might be to find, can ensure their deliveries will go to the right place.”

The latest version of what3words will be available on all the Blue Dart platforms. Stakeholders will be able to download the what3words application for free via iOS and Android platforms. The easy adoption is what has made what3words a popular tool for businesses around the world and has helped them improve their customer experience and enhance efficiency while reducing expenses and environmental impact. 

Blue Dart customers can find their unique what3words address via the free what3words app – available for iOS and Android – or the online map at what3words.com. They can then save their what3words address in the My Blue Dart App, website or OTM under the address section. Blue Dart’s customer and delivery platforms give customers power and flexibility over their deliveries, and the addition of what3words will provide further precision in the delivery address.

Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium Successfully Commences its Ambitious VLOS & BVLOS Drone Trials

Blue Dart, a Mumbai-based logistics company and a part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL), recently announced that it has successfully commenced its ambitious Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) drone delivery trials under the Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium in Vikarabad, Hyderabad, on September 9th, 2021. Blue Dart, one of India’s leading express logistics service providers, is proud to be given the first opportunity amongst various consortiums to initiate the Drone trials.

Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart, attended the launch as the organization furthered its technological prowess. The initiative was launched under Telangana Government’s ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project; these trials have delivered promising results, bringing the country one step closer to ensuring the last-mile delivery of vaccines, emergency medicines, medical samples and other healthcare items in India. Along with these, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trials was initiated on September 11th, 2021 and will continue till the end of the week.

This event was graced by Sri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, Shri KT Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for ITE&C, I&C and MAUD, Govt. of Telangana, Shri Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, Smt. Rama Devi Lanka, Director of Emerging Technologies, Govt. of Telangana, and Smt. Nikhila, Collector & District Magistrate, Vikarabad District.

The Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium was formed earlier this year with the mission of revolutionizing the delivery of vaccines and emergency medical supplies to the remotest parts of India with Drones. Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium is a part of the ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project in collaboration with the Government of Telangana, World Economic Forum, Niti Aayog and Healthnet Global.

Commenting on the launch, Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart, said, “Blue Dart is championing future-ready technology; and collaborating with the Government of Telangana in its ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project, provided us with a perfect opportunity. The initiative is aimed at creating a robust healthcare infrastructure for last-mile delivery in the interiors of India, providing every individual with the healthcare they deserve. As we witness the marvel of drone technology, we look forward to extending this service across the nation and bringing the world closer to these remote areas.” 

Ketan Kulkarni, CMO and Head – Business Development, Blue Dart, shared his thoughts on this event, saying, “technology has become the backbone of not just the logistics industry, but of almost every industry across the world. At Blue Dart, technology continues to be an important pivot for our business and these drone trials are just the beginning of what we aim to explore. In line with our organization’s ‘First In Last Out’ policy, we have created these opportunities to contribute to the development of our nation while we achieve our business goals. Blue Dart will leave no stone unturned to make logistics in India remarkable and trustworthy.”

The Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium drone delivery trials currently involve delivering vaccines from Vikarabad to the primary health care centre in Sidduloor using a multi-rotor drone. A total of 6-7 trials for VLOS operations (up to 1km) and 4-5 trials for BVLOS operations (up to 9kms) were conducted per day. Operated by remote pilots, the drone can travel up to 10kms in a single run, at a speed of 32 km per hour. 

These Unmanned Aircraft Systems or drones can even handle Blue Dart’s specialized Temperature Controlled Shipments with a payload of up to 5kgs and are equipped to pick up and deliver the shipment from the distribution centre to the towns that need the medical supplies and vice versa. The task to bring vaccines and such emergency supplies to remote areas at perilous heights and volatile terrains is not easily achieved without technology. These trials mark the beginning of advanced age in logistics for the nation.

Leading the Express Logistics industry for close to three decades, Blue Dart’s Reliability, Resilience and Responsiveness enabled it to continue fulfilling its role as the Trade Facilitator to the nation during these challenging times. Blue Dart played an active role in the nation’s fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic by partnering with the Government of India’s ‘Lifeline Udan’ initiative to deliver mission-critical supplies, including essentials such as PPE kits, enzymes, Blood samples, medicines, respirators etc.

On the international front, Blue Dart has also been operating cross border to China (Guangzhou and Shanghai) to support the carriage of medical supplies and expanded its charters to Myanmar, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. Blue Dart has also facilitated the movement of crucial shipments for COVID-19 related clinical trials, COVID samples, and vaccines against the virus domestically while also aiding the first-mile movement of these shipments across borders to Bhutan and Albania, amongst other nations. 

Apart from this, Blue Dart is also flying its charters to carry oximeters, ventilators, and oxygen concentrators. The Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium Drone flights will deploy an immersive delivery model to optimize the current healthcare logistics within Telangana. Leveraging an efficient system of this kind, Blue Dart intends on supporting and improving the healthcare logistics infrastructure to be faster and more efficient, especially in rural & deep rural interiors of the nation.

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