Innovative partnership aims to enhance freight efficiency and foster industry-academia collaboration.
In a significant boost to India's logistics and supply chain landscape, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and Container Corporation of India Ltd. (CONCOR) have announced a strategic partnership through a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement was formalized by Professor Akshay Dvivedi, Dean of Sponsored Research & Industrial Consultancy at IIT Roorkee, and Ritu Narang, Senior General Manager (MIS) at CONCOR.
This collaboration seeks to drive innovation and research in logistics and supply chain management. Under the MoU, the institutions will focus on developing advanced optimization models to enhance the efficiency of containerized freight transport across India’s railway network, particularly the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.
Professor Amit Upadhyay from IIT Roorkee’s Department of Management Studies will spearhead the research efforts. The partnership will involve conducting an in-depth Operations Research study to optimize the loading of Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units on double-stack trains. This initiative aims to cut container rail haulage costs and improve inter-terminal movements through rail transshipment hubs. Additionally, the development of an optimization-based decision support system will facilitate the smooth operation of container trains across CONCOR's network.
The MoU also emphasizes strengthening industry-academia ties through internships for IIT Roorkee students, joint research labs, and a Centre of Excellence dedicated to logistics. The partnership, effective for five years with potential renewal, promises to advance both research and practical applications in the field, benefiting India’s logistics sector and nurturing the next generation of logistics professionals.
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