Swan Defence & Heavy Industries Ltd (SDHI) and Wheel & Time Shipping Transport Logistics have entered a strategic MoU to launch India’s first integrated F.A.S.T. (Fabrication, Assembly, Storage, Transportation) logistics ecosystem at SDHI’s Pipavav shipyard in Gujarat. This turnkey model combines SDHI’s 600-acre waterfront fabrication infrastructure including India’s largest dry dock and Wheel & Time’s heavy‐lift transport fleet to deliver end-to-end services for high-value, time-sensitive heavy-engineering projects across ports, marine, petrochemical, offshore EPC, oil & gas, and related sectors. The alliance aims to shorten project timelines, de-risk execution, and provide seamless global shipping connectivity, marking a significant milestone in India’s drive to bolster domestic fabrication and logistics capabilities.
Background & Partnership
Swan Defence & Heavy Industries Ltd (SDHI), formerly RNaval and India’s largest shipbuilding and heavy-fabrication company, operates a state-of-the-art 600-acre shipyard at Pipavav on the country’s west coast in Gujarat.
Wheel & Time Shipping Transport Logistics specializes in transporting oversized and over-dimensional cargo, offering a fleet of Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs), hydraulic trailers, and dedicated marine vessels for multi-modal heavy transport solutions. On April 29–30, 2025, SDHI and Wheel & Time inked a strategic MoU to co-develop India’s first integrated F.A.S.T. logistics ecosystem, designed as a “one-stop” solution for the entire lifecycle of heavy-fabrication projects from raw material intake to final delivery under a single contractual umbrella.
Vivek Merchant, Director at SDHI, emphasized that “newbuilds, ship repairs, and heavy fabrication are central to SDHI’s growth plans,” noting that the F.A.S.T. ecosystem allows EPC contractors and heavy-industry players to focus on core innovation and last-mile delivery, while the partners manage the complex chain from fabrication through transportation.
Gautamraj Sharma, Managing Director of Wheel & Time, added that the collaboration “enables clients to de-risk projects and improve certainty across timelines, execution, and delivery” by merging deep fabrication infrastructure with robust logistics expertise.
The F.A.S.T. Ecosystem: Capabilities & Goals
Fabrication & Assembly: SDHI’s Pipavav yard features India’s largest dry dock (662 m × 65 m) and can fabricate and assemble up to 10,000 tonnes of steel structures per month, supported by advanced CNC cutting tables, robotic welding systems, and hydraulic presses up to 1,600 ton capacity.
Storage: The ecosystem includes vast covered and open-yard storage areas, enabling secure staging of fabricated sections and pre-assembled modules before transport.
Transportation: Wheel & Time contributes a comprehensive fleet of SPMTs, hydraulic trailers, and marine vessels, along with expertise in detailed load-movement planning, route surveys, customs clearance, and port handling for break-bulk, containerized, and over-dimensional consignments.
Turnkey Integration: By unifying these four pillars—fabrication, assembly, storage, transportation—the F.A.S.T. model reduces project handoffs, minimizes coordination delays, and cuts overall execution risk, offering clients a single-window solution.
Global Connectivity: The alliance leverages SDHI’s waterfront to connect directly with international shipping networks, facilitating exportation or importation of heavy modules without interim overland transfers.
Strategic Impact & Market Focus
The F.A.S.T. ecosystem is tailored for high-value, time-sensitive projects in sectors such as port material-handling equipment, marine and offshore infrastructure, petrochemicals, downstream oil & gas facilities, and general heavy engineering, where delays can incur substantial penalties.
By localizing fabrication and logistics in one integrated site, the model is expected to slash project timelines by up to 20–30%, according to industry estimates, while significantly reducing indirect costs associated with multi-vendor coordination and transshipment.
The partnership aligns with India’s broader “Make in India” and maritime infrastructure expansion initiatives, strengthening domestic fabrication capacity and reducing reliance on foreign yards for oversized module construction and transport.
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Technical & Operational Advantages
Single-Site Efficiency: On-site fabrication and direct waterfront loading eliminate inland haulage and intermediate storage costs, while advanced handling cranes and lifting gear support assembly of structures exceeding 1,500 tonnes per lift.
Risk Mitigation: Integrated planning workshops and joint project-control teams across SDHI and Wheel & Time ensure end-to-end visibility, early identification of bottlenecks, and adaptive scheduling, thereby de-risking critical path activities.
Scalability: Modular design cells and slot-based yard management allow the ecosystem to scale capacity up or down based on project demand, offering flexibility to handle multiple simultaneous projects without performance degradation.
Compliance & Quality: Fabrication adheres to global standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001), while transport operations comply with international load-securing regulations and local statutory requirements, ensuring safety and quality throughout the supply chain.
Future Outlook & Next Steps
With the F.A.S.T. ecosystem officially launched in late April 2025, the immediate focus is on onboarding marquee projects in port infrastructure and offshore EPC, with initial contracts expected to be awarded by Q3 2025.
Longer-term, SDHI and Wheel & Time aim to expand the model’s footprint by integrating digital twins, IoT-enabled asset tracking, and predictive maintenance services to further enhance execution certainty and operational transparency.
Industry analysts predict that if successful, this integrated approach could set a new benchmark for heavy-engineering logistics in South Asia, potentially attracting both domestic and international clients seeking cost-effective and reliable project execution hubs.
Conclusion
The SDHI–Wheel & Time MoU represents a landmark development in India’s heavy-fabrication and logistics sectors. By delivering a fully integrated F.A.S.T. ecosystem combining world-class fabrication infrastructure with end-to-end transport capabilities the partnership is poised to accelerate project delivery, mitigate risks, and drive growth in key industrial verticals, reinforcing India’s stature as a competitive hub for large-scale engineering projects.
Source: indiashippingnews.com
