March 22 - GPLN member Direct Logistics India Pvt Ltd has been awarded a contract to handle the inbound logistics for fortune 500 entity Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited - one of India's largest and fastest-growing public sector engineering giants.

The agreement includes the movement of 257,000 freight tonnes, involving containerized cargo, breakbulk and heavy lift pieces. The shipments originate from ports in Europe, Far East and the Middle East.

Capt Sunil Devrani, the forwarder's CEO and managing director, says: "The deal with BHEL is one of India's largest, worth over USD25 million annually. We expect to add USD55m from our project logistics vertical to our top line in two years' time."

Mr Devrani, pictured below, was recently named The Most Promising Entrepreneur Of The Year 2009 by the NGO Enterprise Asia.