Mehsana is rapidly emerging as a significant industrial and commercial hub in North Gujarat. Due to the strategic location provided by State Highway 41 (SH-41 / Ahmedabad-Palanpur Highway), along with its proximity to important industrial areas such as Kadi, Chhatral, and Ahmedabad, the town has attracted major players in quick commerce, including Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.

Nonetheless, the delivery of sub-10-minute dark stores also presents several mid-mile challenges in the highly populated urban areas of Radhanpur Road, Modhera Road, Highway Road, Dediyasan, and the Panchot area. Thus, drivers are required to maneuver through heavy transit traffic, narrow roads in the city, and inter-district transportation from processing centers in the GIDC Phases I and II and milk/agricultural processing plants in the close vicinity.

In order to supply MFCs without crowding their limited space, dark stores follow a strict Appointment-Based Delivery (ABD) system. Truck arrivals at dark store loading docks are only given 15-30 minutes to complete their unloading process. Failure to adhere to that time frame, for instance, due to an unscheduled delivery or heavy traffic along the road, results in gate refusal of the truck from the dark store dock, requiring the owner of the truck to incur costly detention fees and penalties for stockout.

These are 5 major suppliers of appointment-based delivery services that support operations for leading FMCG companies, dairy producers, and local direct-to-consumer enterprises, such as Zepto and Swiggy Instamart in Mehsana.

1. Edgistify

Edgistify is the primary player in the tech-led dark store replenishment market in North Gujarat. Having well-placed Grade A warehouses in the Mehsana logistics corridor, Edgistify ensures proper dock slotting of order deliveries. Their routing technology prevents delays from congestion on SH-41 and the railway overbridges.

2. Prozo (ProShip)

With an aim to ensure efficient warehouse management and transportation in Gujarat's swiftly growing industry, Prozo delivers mid-mile freight management services. Built for high-frequency replenishments, Prozo will support the brand in the maintenance of minimal dark store inventory levels with the help of efficient scheduling of arrivals.

3. Shiprocket Cargo

Shiprocket Cargo has earned a bad reputation among local food manufacturers, D2C firms, and SMEs operating in North Gujarat that require flexible B2B shipping services. Shiprocket Cargo utilizes a fractional truckload (LTL) method, allowing brands to ship stock to merchant locations in small quantities, often without having to pay for the entire truckload.

4. Shadowfax Enterprise

Shadowfax runs a specialized fleet of intra-city mid-mile vehicles that focus on the transportation of goods from micro-fulfillment centers to city-center stores. The company specializes in transporting fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) from regional distribution centers to city-center dark stores on time.

5. Delhivery Enterprise

Delhivery relies on an extensive national transportation network in conjunction with its significant infrastructure in Gujarat for effective retail distribution. When making long-haul deliveries from huge processing centers in Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar to Mehsana’s dark stores, Delhivery’s capability to ensure hassle-free line-haul movement is indispensable.