India’s logistics industry is moving from warehouses built around people and forklifts to operations increasingly directed by software, robotics and real-time data. That shift is changing what companies expect from a 3PL. Storage and transportation are no longer enough. Manufacturers and retailers want inventory visibility, automated material movement, faster fulfilment and systems that can scale without adding the same amount of labour.

India’s 3PL market is estimated at $38.18 billion in 2026, while the country’s warehouse automation market is projected to grow from about $560 million in 2025 to nearly $1.5 billion by 2031. E-commerce and 3PL operations already represent the largest end-user segment for warehouse automation. Against that backdrop, these companies stand out across India’s 3PL and supply-chain automation ecosystem.

• TVS Supply Chain Solutions: 3PL With Automation Built Into the Operation

TVS Supply Chain Solutions is one of the clearest examples of a 3PL moving beyond conventional logistics outsourcing. Its technology stack covers warehousing, transportation, inventory management and visibility, while the company is also deploying AI/ML, process automation, IoT, vision technology, warehouse automation and robotics across operations.

Its manufacturing offering is particularly relevant for companies looking at logistics automation solutions for manufacturers. TVS SCS supports in-plant logistics, inventory optimisation, line-side delivery, automated inspection and warehouse operations.

Its warehouse offering also includes automated storage solutions and an in-house WMS, giving customers a combination of physical automation and software visibility.

• DHL Supply Chain: Scaling Robotics Across Contract Logistics

DHL Supply Chain has made automation a core part of its contract-logistics strategy rather than treating it as an isolated warehouse upgrade.

In India, DHL’s fulfillment network includes 142 warehouses, offices and cross-docks, more than 1.1 million sq. m. of space and 80 digital deployments. Its technology stack includes intelligent process automation, algorithmic optimisation and SmartOps.

Its automation portfolio spans robotic arms, automated storage and retrieval systems, sortation and other warehouse technologies. For manufacturers, DHL’s proposition is broader than automated warehousing. It can combine manufacturing support, distribution, inventory management and technology within one outsourced supply-chain operation. DHL is also investing around €1 billion in India through 2030, including logistics infrastructure and automation.

• Mahindra Logistics: Connecting 3PL Operations With AI and Automation

Mahindra Logistics is building its technology proposition around LogiOne, an integrated platform covering transportation, warehousing and last-mile operations. Its current technology stack includes modules for transport management, warehouse operations, load and route optimisation, real-time visibility and predictive analytics.

The company has also experimented with AGVs, drones, IoT, robotics and automated material-handling systems. Its earlier automation programme included stationary picking robots, mobile piece-picking robots, kitting systems and autonomous/semi-autonomous conveyors.

This makes Mahindra relevant to manufacturers that need automation across both the warehouse and the wider logistics network rather than a standalone robotics project.

• Delhivery: Automation at Network Scale

Delhivery’s automation story is built around volume. As of March 2025, the company operated 45 fully and semi-automated sortation centres and 111 gateways, with rated automated sort capacity of 8.2 million shipments per day. Its network also uses machine vision, automated material handling and software-directed floor operations.

Its proprietary logistics operating system connects transportation, warehousing, freight and supply-chain services, while machine learning is used for route optimisation, ETA prediction, load aggregation and other operational decisions. For 3PL customers, that combination matters because automation is spread across the network rather than confined to one warehouse.

• Addverb: Robotics for the Automated Warehouse

Addverb sits on the other side of the ecosystem. It is not primarily a 3PL; it provides the automation infrastructure that logistics operators and manufacturers can deploy. Its portfolio covers mobile robots, warehouse automation, software and end-to-end intralogistics solutions. The company works with customers across industries and has developed both fixed and flexible automation approaches.

Addverb’s position is particularly relevant as Indian warehouses move toward AMRs, AS/RS, sortation and robotic fulfilment. Its expansion beyond traditional warehousing into areas such as semiconductor manufacturing also shows where logistics robotics could be heading next.

• GreyOrange: Robotics Meets Warehouse Intelligence

GreyOrange focuses on the combination of warehouse robotics and software orchestration. Its technology is relevant where businesses need to automate movement, picking, sorting and fulfillment while coordinating multiple machines through a common software layer.

That is increasingly important for 3PL operations because customers rarely have identical workflows. A warehouse serving automotive components will have very different requirements from one handling e-commerce orders.

• Falcon Autotech: Automated Material Flow and Sortation

Falcon Autotech is another Indian automation player focused on the physical movement of goods inside logistics facilities. Its solutions cover areas such as sortation, conveyor systems, scanning and automated material handling. These technologies are particularly useful for large distribution centres where manual sorting becomes a throughput bottleneck.

For 3PL operators, the attraction is straightforward: automate repetitive movement and sorting while allowing the same facility to process higher volumes.

• Godrej Consoveyo: AS/RS for High-Density Warehousing

Godrej Consoveyo combines local engineering and warehouse automation technology, with a focus on automated storage and retrieval systems and material-handling solutions.

AS/RS becomes particularly valuable when warehouse space is expensive or when operations require consistent inventory movement. Instead of treating automation purely as a labour-reduction exercise, it can increase storage density and improve retrieval control. The company is among the established players tracked in India’s warehouse automation sector.

• Honeywell: Automation From Warehouse Equipment to Software

Honeywell brings a broad automation portfolio into logistics, spanning material handling, robotics, warehouse software and industrial technology. Its relevance to 3PLs comes from the ability to combine physical equipment with software and data layers. That matters as warehouses move toward orchestration rather than isolated automation cells.

For manufacturers, Honeywell can also sit within a broader industrial automation environment, making it relevant when warehouse and production systems need to exchange data.

• Daifuku India: Large-Scale Material Handling and AS/RS

Daifuku is one of the established global material-handling companies with an active presence in India’s warehouse automation market. Its solutions include automated storage and retrieval, conveyors, sorting and material-handling systems. Such systems are generally aimed at operations where predictable throughput, storage density and automated movement justify larger infrastructure investments.

What Should Manufacturers Look For?

For manufacturers, choosing a 3PL or automation partner should start with the bottleneck rather than the technology. If the problem is inventory accuracy, WMS and real-time visibility may deliver more value than adding robots. If the issue is warehouse congestion, AS/RS, conveyors or AMRs may make more sense. 

If labour-intensive picking is limiting throughput, robotic picking and sortation become more relevant. The integration layer is just as important. WMS, TMS, ERP, robotics, scanners, IoT sensors and analytics need to exchange data rather than operate as separate systems.

For manufacturers, the goal is not simply an automated warehouse. It is a supply chain that can see inventory, move it, predict demand and respond faster without rebuilding the operation every time volumes change.