ALIPPL set to bring Grade A disruption to Ahmedabad warehousing market

Industries ranging from consumer goods to e-commerce to benefit from premier built-to-suit warehousing facility.

Spread across 38 acres on the Changodar-Bagodara Highway, Allcargo Logistics and Industrial Parks Private Limited’s (ALIPPL) site is ushering in a Grade A warehousing revolution in West India, specifically Ahmedabad. With a potential of 1 million square feet of chargeable warehousing area, construction work is set to commence in early 2020 and the project will be completed in three phases by the end of 2022.

The Changodar-Bagodara Highway, where ALIPPL’s facility will be located, houses the warehouses of a number of well-known companies including MRF, Alembic, Asian Paints and Arvind Group. The Ahmedabad facility is in a key warehousing hub—many operators such as Amazon, Udaan Logistics, Croma, and Reliance Retail operate within 25-30 km of the site—due to proximity to the consumption centres of Prahlad Nagar, Satellite, and C G Road, Navrangpura which are an hour’s drive away. What’s more this location is on the key National Highway-47 which connects Ahmedabad to Rajkot.

Pillars for Grade A success

The success of Grade A warehousing rests on zeroing on an ideal location. With the emergence of Changodar Rajkot Highway as a significant radial road in the Sardar Patel Outer Ring Road (ORR) project, Bhayla has evolved as an industrial area with major engineering and production, fabrication, pharmaceutical, textile and general industries. ALIPPL’s Ahmedabad unit is very well-located in proximity to Prahlad Nagar and Satellite which is 40 km away, is a prominent commercial and residential hub. Even Bavla railway station and bus stand are close by.

Ahmedabad is one of the biggest consumption centres in West India after Mumbai. The region is one of the biggest hubs for pharmaceutical companies, with large tracts of industrial area (Becharaji, Vithalapur and Sanand) having developed in the vicinity, which is adding to warehousing demand. Catalysed by the anticipated increase in demand, growth of retail sector, excellent connectivity and expansion of the e-commerce business, the industrial and warehousing sector is expected to grow in Ahmedabad. Easy access to Kandala and Mundra ports only makes Ahmedabad a more attractive destination for warehouses.

Exploding demand from the e-commerce industry, the enactment of a slew of government policies such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST), development of industrial corridors, and assigning infrastructure status to the logistics sector have all laid the platform for fuelling investments into Grade A warehousing facilities nationwide.

An early mover

ALIPPL has already forayed into the segment and is expanding its Grade A warehousing footprint across key cities in India. A total of 3.5 million square feet of warehousing space has already been constructed and leased out to e-commerce and retail giants.

“Companies looking for a large Grade A space in the Ahmedabad market will find a strong fit with ALIPPL’s facility meeting international standards,” says Jatin Chokshi, Chief Investment Officer, Allcargo Logistics. “With the addition of Ahmedabad, ALIPPL is seeing strong demand for these premium warehousing facilities beyond India’s largest metros, especially from smaller consumption hubs,” he elucidates.

Meeting international standards

Built with 12-metre clear height buildings, wide column spacing and standing seam buildings, this unit offers top-of-the-line facilities including fire-fighting systems as per NBC/ FM norms, sewage plant with treated water for flushing and landscaping, mechanised loading capabilities using dock-levellers, conveyors, stackers etc., wide roads for 40-feet containers, ventilation systems with six air exchanges, and much more.

ALIPPL’s pre-engineered building follows the MBMA and IS design code, NBC norms for an STP design, a fire-fighting system, domestic water usage and toilets constructed inside the park and FM global norms for the flooring work and fire-system.

The facility at Ahmedabad is designed as per Grade A construction quality with state-of-the-art amenities, world class infrastructure, environment-friendly technology and fully compliant building with all approvals in place for warehousing operations. On the ground, this means RCC Roads/Black Topping Roads as per the Traffic Analysis for easy manoeuvring of the 40 feet trucks across the park, storm water drains incorporating 50-year rainfall data, high compound walls to avoid pilferage and ample parking as per the master plan.

Safe, secure and green

In addition, the facility will have a security room and first aid centre, drivers’ rest area, green belt along the perimeter with necessary trees, rainwater harvesting, provision for space for waste handling and recycling of the STP treated water for the landscaping. External lighting with 100% DG Backup for the external lighting and for common services makes sure the facility is well-lit and safe.

As environment consciousness becomes critical, ALIPPL is taking the lead, with all logistics parks designed to use minimum electricity (four or five skylights in the building to have proper sunlight during day), built with rain water harvesting systems and a keen intent to install solar panels on rooftops in the future. The focus inside the park is to efficiently use energy, water, and other resources, while protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity as well as reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.