Freight Transport for Imports From India

As one of the world's fastest growing economies in the developing world, India is a hotbed of innovation and opportunity.

This bodes well for the international freight transport sector and shipping companies as their business grows in parallel with the buoyant economy in India. The quantity of imports from India is growing and set to grow further.

India is particularly well known for Bollywood and its entertainment and creative sector, which is now one of the most vibrant centres of entertainment and film worldwide.

However, of more significance for freight services companies is growth in other sectors producing goods, that are increasing their level of exports to other countries, including the UK.

With a resident population of over 1 billion and a fast improving infrastructure, there are now many freight companies and shipping companies that are able to serve the needs of Indian companies looking to export from India, as well as provide detailed advice about how to arrange international freight from India to countries worldwide.

The UK is India's second largest trading partner after the United States, reflecting the large UK demand for the kinds of goods that are produced in India. UK's most important imports from India include textiles and ready-made garments, footwear, gems and jewellery, metal manufacture and power generating equipment.

In addition to the above, there are also significant levels of imports related to organic chemicals, vegetables and fruit.

The diverse nature of the above examples of imports from India indicates how versatile the freight services companies operating in India need to be in order to service this market. A shipping company or freight company that is familiar with exporting from India will be expert at providing the correct transportation mode to ensure that the products arrive at their destination market in peak condition and within as short a time frame as possible. The freight forwarding market in India has developed considerably in recent years and the standard of freight services available is very high.

As well as the products being diverse, the companies in India are also very diverse. Although there are some large world class companies, the majority of businesses are small enterprises. The larger companies tend to dominate sectors such as IT, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and services such as call centres. Meanwhile, it is the smaller businesses that tend to dominate the manufacturing sectors that are the main customers for the freight transport sector and shipping companies providing export services to markets worldwide.

The diversity is also reflected in the geographical concentration of commerce. Vast tracts of India are rural, whereas trade tends to centre on a limited number of urban centres. It is in the Indian cities that the freight services companies and shipping companies servicing the needs of the manufacturing sector are to be found.

Uk importers usually handle all import procedures on the part of the client.This is particularly important for the small Indian company that is looking to develop worldwide markets.

Given that many of Indian exports to the UK are related to textiles, clothing and jewellery, these are markets that have been dented by the recent global economic crisis and the decline in consumer confidence and disposable income in the UK. The Indian imports tend to be in sectors that are easily affected by falls in disposable income. However, they should also be the first to improve as consumer confidence returns and the international freight sector will be geared up ready to service that demand as it comes through.

A greater volume of goods and services currently flow from India to the UK than the reverse, but this balance of trade is now beginning to alter.

Organisations such as UK Trade & Investment are campaigning to promote trade with India to more companies in Britain. As the effect of such campaigns bears fruit and there is a greater volume of two way trade with India, this will make international freight transport and freight forwarding between the two countries still more streamlined and effective.