Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd., a 159-year-old Miniratna I PSU under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, with businesses spanning logistics, travel, industrial packaging, greases and lubricants, and chemicals, is steadily leveraging data, digital tools and early-stage artificial intelligence to strengthen governance, improve service delivery, and support national priorities such as the National Logistics Policy, PM Gati Shakti and Viksit Bharat 2047.

Over the next five years, our AI strategy will build on the digital foundations already established across manufacturing, logistics, travel and enterprise IT. We see three clear and interlinked priorities.

Data-Driven Logistics and Service Governance

We will deepen the integration of our Logistics Services and Logistics Infrastructure systems with the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) to enable secure, real-time access to Vahan, Sarathi, e-Way Bill, GSTN, FASTag and port systems. This integration supports compliant, paper-light and faster logistics operations.

Portal-based, API-enabled customer interfaces will be extended across CFSs, cold chain and warehouses, allowing Ministries, PSUs and private customers to access transparent, time-stamped visibility of cargo, dwell times and service levels on a single platform. In the travel domain, we are implementing AI-driven grievance management tools and customer dashboards, while exploring futuristic agentic AI applications over the longer term to enhance service excellence and ease of booking.

In manufacturing, particularly in greases and lubricants, distributor management systems and improved secondary sales visibility are being rolled out. These initiatives will enable AI-based price sensitivity analysis across markets, distributor performance insights and more accurate demand forecasting. We also intend to explore predictive maintenance in plants and smarter route planning for raw material and finished goods movement, building on our energy-efficient and automated shop floors.

Within HR, AI and machine learning are already being used to shortlist large volumes of applications for various vacancies, significantly reducing manual screening time and enabling a more efficient and error-free selection process.

An AI-Ready and Secure Enterprise Backbone

Balmer Lawrie is transitioning from SAP ECC to S/4HANA while scaling e-office and digital document management systems. The objective is to ensure that finance, HR and operational processes generate clean, structured data that can support future AI and analytics use cases.

We also plan to implement state-of-the-art CRM systems to enable pipeline management, customer 360-degree views, service tracking and AI-assisted sales insights, making our front-end AI-ready and closely integrated with our core ERP.

Cyber resilience remains a non-negotiable priority. We continue to strengthen IT and OT security through regular audits, inputs from the National Cyber Coordination Centre and Cyber Swachhta Kendra, and ongoing employee awareness programmes. As AI systems increasingly interact with operational and citizen-facing data, strong governance and protection frameworks remain essential.

Building an AI-Literate and Future-Ready Workforce

In FY 2024–25, Balmer Lawrie delivered over 2,000 training days across organisational levels, deployed SCORM-based digital modules, and conducted leadership programmes such as Pragati for women. Going forward, AI awareness, data literacy and workflow automation skills will be embedded across these programmes for all SBUs, including participation in AI adoption initiatives and sector-specific seminars.

Our e-Performance Management System, which already covers 100 per cent of non-unionised staff online, will be gradually leveraged to experiment with AI-assisted performance insights, skills mapping and workforce planning, with full transparency and governance oversight.

Flagship AI Use Case and Key Learnings

Our most mature AI and digital use case lies in Logistics Services and Logistics Infrastructure. It rests on three core components.

First, the ULIP-connected logistics stack integrates freight forwarding and control tower portals with ULIP, providing real-time access to vehicle, driver, tax and port data. This enables straight-through documentation processing, automated validation checks and faster exception handling.

Second, machine learning, predictive AI tools and OCR are deployed in freight forwarding operations to automate documentation and data capture, reducing errors and improving speed for customs and regulatory processes.

Third, through Special Freight Train Operator services and expansion of third-party logistics in Eastern India, Balmer Lawrie is building digitally traceable, multimodal logistics flows that support lower logistics costs and a higher rail share-both critical national objectives. Our 3PL platform is also being developed as a test bed for autonomy and AI readiness, including evaluation of drone-based inventory checks and yard management, OCR-enabled gate operations and automated warehouse control systems.

This use case functions as a live learning platform. ULIP combined with AI and OCR exposes frontline teams to AI-assisted workflows while generating data for future applications such as anomaly detection in billing, predictive dwell-time alerts at CFSs and automated SLA dashboards for Ministries and PSU clients. A key takeaway is that AI adoption is not merely a technology initiative; it requires strong change management, continuous training and robust process and security controls, already embedded through ISO certifications, internal audits and cyber-readiness measures.

Building the AI Ecosystem in Balmer Lawrie and India

Our Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report, ESG initiatives and participation in the UN Global Compact shape our broader contribution to India’s AI journey. We see scope for collaboration with other PSUs to establish AI Centres of Excellence focused on shared learning and adoption across public sector contexts.

Inclusive and ethical AI adoption can be strengthened by integrating AI themes into leadership, diversity and wellness programmes, ensuring that AI tools support women, youth and employees across regions. Our CSR focus on skills, education, health and the environment can also be extended to support AI skilling and awareness in communities around our operations, aligned with Government skilling missions and incubators.

Also Read | India Aims to Build Indigenous AI Models, Expand Data Infrastructure

Through these priorities and initiatives, Balmer Lawrie’s intent is to use AI as a multiplier for governance, enhancing transparency, efficiency and resilience within our businesses, while contributing meaningfully to India’s emergence as a digitally empowered and AI-ready economy.

Views Expressed By: Shri Adhip Nath Palchaudhuri, Chairman and Managing Director, Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd.

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