There is no impact for FedEx in India, on the movement of goods to and from China due to the coronavirus outbreak. “It is business as usual for us between the two countries,” said Mohamad Sayegh, Vice-President, Operations, FedEx Express in India.
“India to China is a very important trade lane. We have five frequencies per week connecting China with Mumbai and Delhi,” he told newspersons at the launch of FedEx SME Connect Programme here. The programme is a thought leadership and knowledge-sharing platform for SMEs to interact with industry and subject matter experts, for solution-oriented discussions that impact their business, he added.
There is no change in the flight schedule between India and China due to the coronavirus outbreak, he said. “We are continuously in touch with the World Health Organization and communicate with our employees in every area. Safety is our number one priority,” he said.
Asked if there is any slowdown in India in express transportation, Sayegh said, “We have not seen any slowdown from our customers. We are helping them to connect to global customers and the rest of India. We reach 19,000 pin codes, and cover over 90 per cent of India’s manufacturing GDP, have 1,000 vehicles across India and have 23 weekly flights from India with international gateways in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. This has not changed,,” he said.
“We have been in India for over three decades, and India is a very important market for us,” he said. FedEx is a $70-billion global express transport company,
Chennai is MSME hub
On reasons for holding the SME Connect Programme in the city, Arthi Nagarajan, Managing Director, Marketing, FedEx India, said Chennai accounts for over 1.70 lakh MSMEs (those with annual revenue of less than ₹250 crore), making it the biggest hub in Tamil Nadu, and one of the most important hubs in the country. The major contributors to the sector include textiles and garments, auto components, engineering manufacturing units, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, plastic and printing, she said.
As suggested by customers, the theme for the session in Chennai is ‘Building a Sustainable Business through effective Risk Management’ with leading experts and entrepreneurs sharing their business insights on the current macro economic environment and different approaches to mitigate these risks. The programme focuses on topics relevant to the local market to give small businesses guidance, and tips to innovate and learn, she added.