Building a Better Shipping Model
From the start, the Bombay Metrics team focused on consistency, ensuring every stage of the journey, from supplier pickup to warehouse delivery, followed a predictable rhythm.
They built a process grounded in preparation and foresight:
⦁ Partnering with multiple forwarders to compare schedules, negotiate rates, and maintain backup options for blank sailings.
⦁ Optimized supplier pickup schedules based on distance to the port, reducing the total transit time from pickup to vessel departure at Origin Port (Nhava Sheva) to 6-9 days. This change saved 5 days compared to the previous 14-day system assumption.
⦁ Signing domestic transport contracts to standardize timing and cost.
⦁ Selecting Nhava Sheva Port for its direct vessel routes to the U.S. East Coast.
⦁ Transitioning from Port-to-Port to DAP terms, saving 4-5 days per shipment by managing delivery coordination.
⦁ Standardizing pallet dimensions (1140 × 1140 × 1250 mm) to maximize container space and minimize handling delays.
“We did a lot of groundwork,” Prasanth explains. “We knew the challenges, we planned for the worst-case scenarios, and we prepared for every possibility.”
To keep shipments on schedule, the team began booking containers three weeks in advance, aligning supplier readiness with sailing schedules. Most shipping lines to the U.S. depart Mondays, so the team built its process around that cadence: Monday bookings, Tuesday pickups, Friday handoffs to the liner.
“It sounds small,” says Prasanth, “but those three days we saved at the start make all the difference later.”
Adapting Through Global Disruptions
Even the best processes are tested by real-world conditions. When Red Sea tensions rerouted vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 5-6 days to average sailings, the Bombay Metrics team’s multi-forwarder model paid off. Their contingency planning ensured shipments kept moving.
They also turned their attention to the Mexico lane, where inland transport from Manzanillo Port to the MES warehouse in Monterrey stretched nearly 1,000 miles. After exploring alternatives, the team switched to Altamira Port — roughly half that distance and closer to the Gulf.
The change trimmed 5 days off total lead time and reduced inland trucking costs by about $1,500 per container. With 40-50 containers a year on that route, the impact quickly added up.
“We’ve now been doing this for more than two years,” Prasanth says. “Over 200 containers to the U.S. and 50 to Mexico, and our lead times have stayed consistent, with 39 days to the U.S. and 55 to Mexico. That’s not luck. It’s process.”
The results of this transformed approach were meticulously tracked and consistently validated the team’s efforts over two years. By moving to Altamira, Mexico, and standardizing operations through Nhava Sheva, India, we achieved precise lead time stability. Our records consistently show the target of 39 days to the U.S. and 55 days to Mexico is not just achievable, but our new reliable standard. This shift from Port-to-Port to DAP terms, combined with the optimized Mexico route delivery, also immediately resulted in verifiable cost savings of $1,500 per container for the inland leg, proving the financial prudence of local control.
The Results
| Route |
Before |
After |
Improvement |
| India → U.S. (Port-to-Door) |
46 days |
39 days |
7 days faster |
| India → Mexico (Port-to-Door) |
69 days |
55 days |
14 days faster |
Those improvements go beyond speed.
⦁ Inventory carrying costs dropped, freeing up working capital.
⦁ Container utilization improved, lowering freight cost per kilo.
⦁ Airfreight shipments declined, reducing last-minute disruptions.
⦁ Visibility increased, with weekly container updates shared across global teams.
“We send weekly reports on container counts, ETAs, and pricing,” Prasanth says. “That level of transparency built trust between India, the U.S., and Mexico. Everyone can see how we’re performing and it motivates us to keep improving.”
Delivering More Than Speed
The Bombay Metrics initiative goes beyond faster shipping.
By managing logistics locally, the team built a system that’s reliable, predictable, and resilient. It also strengthens MES’s global sourcing network from end-to-end.
“Our focus has always been on lead time,” says Prasanth. “Every day we save helps our customers plan better and run better.”
With consistent schedules, optimized routes, and proactive communication, Bombay Metrics has made it possible to plan global deliveries with confidence, despite shifting trade conditions.
This is more than efficiency. It’s resilience in motion, which is an improvement that now moves through every link in the supply chain.
What’s Next
The success of Bombay Metrics has become a blueprint for future growth. This model of local ownership, standardized processes, and proactive problem-solving is now being explored in other sourcing regions, including Vietnam and Europe.
“We’re proud to have contributed to MES’s global success,” Prasanth says. “We were given the freedom to explore, test, and prove what works and we made sure it worked not just once, but every time.”
By empowering regional teams and sharing best practices, we’re creating a more connected and agile supply chain that’s built on the same principles that drove our most recent success: preparation, precision, and partnership.
Conclusion
At MES, we believe improvement is a team effort, and this success belongs to all of us.
By rethinking how we manage logistics from India, we’ve turned a long-standing challenge into a lasting advantage: faster lead times, lower costs, and stronger global performance.
It’s proof that when initiative meets precision, great things move — on time, every time.
Ready to see what’s possible with a smarter, faster supply chain? Contact us to learn more.
Key Results
⦁ Transit times reduced by 7-14 days
⦁ Lead time stability maintained despite global disruptions
⦁ Inland trucking distance to Mexico warehouse cut by 50%
⦁ $1,500 cost savings per container on Mexico route
⦁ Over 250 containers shipped under the new model
⦁ Stronger collaboration across India, U.S., and Mexico teams
