A national seminar titled Logistics and Supply Chain Management in India by 2020 : Prospects & Challenges was organized by Asian School of Business Management (ASBM), Bhubaneswar in their campus on 7th November 2009. Giving a prelude to the theme, the Chairman of the National Seminar & Founder Director of ASBM, Prof. Biswajeet Pattanayak said that integrated logistics is the future of business. Referring to vital prediction of Peter F. Drucker, who said that there will be shift in the strategy and physical distribution, will be the last frontier of economy. Introducing the theme, Prof. Balaram Swamy, Convener of the Seminar hinted upon the upsurge of logistics in the 90s following the growth of retail industry in the global arena.

Executive Director, Indian Railways Institute of Transport Management, Smt. Ashima Singh quoted Karl Marx who said that Railways will bring change in the economy that harnesses cultural homogeneity of society. The CEO of DPCL, Shri Santosh Mohapatra deliberated upon transportation chain as the biggest contributor to the marketing and production process. Referring to the economy of size and efficiency, he said water transport is significantly economic than the rest of the modes. The Chief Guest Mr.Vivek Pattanayak said that although logistics is a military terminology, it now affects the major sections of civil society because of its pervasive impacts on the economy. Dating back to the history, he said Napoleon and Alexander were successful, because they were good in handling the logistics operation. Noted Parliamentarian Dr. Prasanna Kumar Patasani graced the occasion and highlighted future potential of the state in attracting large scale investment in logistics industry.

The seminar was enriched by deliberations in three technical sessions comprising of esteemed panelists from leading logistics organizations like Mr. Anjani Kant, Strategy & Business Development Head, DPCL; Mr. A R K Shastri, GM, PPL; Mr. G Upadhyaya, Former CMD, NALCO; Major Prashant Das, Asst. Vice President, Grasim Industries; Mr. P K Mishra, Vice President, Bhusan Power & Steel; Mr. Gulshan Sharma, Head, Business & Operation, Gati; Mr. Manas Ganguly, Business Head, ABC India; Mr. M. Ramkrishna, MD, ZCS Ltd and Prof. Alok Mishra, ASBM, Bhubaneswar. In the sessions, it was highlighted that as large scale employment opportunities are available ranging from 4 to 5 lakhs in the logistics sector in near future as the sector is growing fast.

The national seminar was attended by Dean of the Institute Prof. Kalyan Shankar Ray, Convener Prof. Balaram Swamy, representatives of industry & media, faculty members and students.