Exploring India’s Freight Backbone: A Field Visit to ICD Sonipat by JIMS Students

E xploring India’s Freight Backbone: A Field Visit to ICD Sonipat by JIMS Students PGDM IB students from JIMS Rohini visited the Inland Container Depot at Sonipat, operated by the JM BAXI Group, to observe freight operations at close quarters. The Multimodal Logistics Park, developed under the PM Gati Shakti initiative, served as a live classroom where policy, infrastructure, and operations meet.

Why an ICD Matters To International Business

An inland container depot connects the manufacturing hinterland to maritime gateways, and the Sonipat facility links interior trade flows to ports such as Mundra and Pipavav. The site functions as a consolidation and clearance hub, which means students can see how containers enter, how they are documented, inspected, and moved onward by rail or road. Observing that cycle in one place helps translate classroom ideas into an operational picture, a useful step for any programme that teaches cross-border logistics within a PGDM curriculum.

What Students Observed on The Ground

The visit gave the cohort a structured view of end-to-end handling. They were briefed on the ICD’s role in connecting producers to ports, the sequence of customs protocols, and the documentation required before a box can move. Teams also reviewed how multimodal freight is coordinated, beginning with the yard and extending to rail rakes and highway movements, as well as how yard management uses technology for visibility and control. Together, these elements describe the full journey of a container rather than a single task within it.

Key Learning Themes

• Understanding how ICDs stitch hinterlands to maritime gateways, including flows to Mundra and Pipavav
• Exposure to customs processes, documentation checkpoints, and compliance discipline
• Clarity on public–private partnership models in logistics infrastructure, framed within PM Gati Shakti
• Appreciation of multimodal coordination and the role of technology in efficient yard operations

Documentation accuracy, for example, is not only a compliance topic; it also shapes how quickly cargo moves, which affects cost and delivery commitments. Likewise, the yard’s technology stack shows why data, time windows, and slot discipline are central to modern logistics.

Policy Context Viewed From The Yard

PM Gati Shakti initiative romotes integrated planning so that roads, rail, and terminals evolve as a network rather than isolated assets. Seeing an ICD that operates within that framework helps students interpret policy as a set of daily choices rather than a distant announcement.

The session on partnership structures added a second layer, since public–private models underpin a significant share of logistics capacity. For students who will work in trade, procurement, or supply chain roles after a PGDM, this lens encourages questions that are both practical and strategic.

From Classroom Concepts to Working Skills

International business courses introduce freight documents, Incoterms, and regulatory steps. On site, those ideas become tangible. Students can follow how a shipping bill is prepared, why a clearance queue forms, and how a yard slot is allocated, which trains the eye to notice bottlenecks early.

The experience also cultivates habits that interviews often test, namely structured observation, attention to sequence, and an ability to explain a process clearly. These habits contribute to job readiness, which is why field-based learning frequently features in discussions about PGDM(MBA) placements.

Editorial View on Pedagogy

Field immersion is not a substitute for conceptual study; it is a complement that helps learners connect frameworks to outcomes. When a cohort stands inside a working terminal, the language of operations becomes specific. Terms like multimodal movement, dwell time, or customs facilitation are no longer abstractions; they are steps that can be measured and improved. This alignment of classroom and yard strengthens a programme’s design, and it mirrors how leading institutions structure applied components within the MBA and PGDM streams.

A Note on Responsible Reporting

The details presented here adhere to the visit summary: the cohort, the operator, the location, the policy initiative, and the learning themes. No additional numbers or unverified specifics have been introduced. The aim is to preserve accuracy while offering context that helps a prospective student understand why this exposure matters.

What Such Visits Signal to Applicants

Prospective candidates often compare how schools balance classroom rigour with industry contact. A field assignment at an ICD shows an emphasis on operational literacy, regulatory awareness, and coordination skills, all of which are relevant to trade roles.

While applicants may also consult frameworks such as a B-School list and review outcomes linked to PGDM(MBA) Placements, they can read visits of this nature as evidence of an applied approach to international business education.

Conclusion

The Sonipat visit brought the freight backbone of the economy into view for the JIMS Rohini cohort, and it did so in a setting where policy and practice intersect under the PM Gati Shakti initiative. Students saw the arc from documentation to dispatch, they learned how inland hubs anchor multimodal movement, and they engaged with the operational language that drives trade.

As a learning moment for the PGDM classroom and for wider management study within the MBA, the experience demonstrates why structured fieldwork can sharpen judgment. For applicants who weigh independent markers and who pay close attention to preparation associated with PGDM(MBA) Placements, it also signals a programme culture that values a clear, grounded understanding of how global commerce moves.