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The "Friends & Friends Co." was formed by three enterprising family friends in 1984. What started with a view to provide all types of shipping solutions to the port users has now become a known business house of Gandhidham-Kandla. The Friends Group has now diversified into other areas like Salt, Iron Ore, Textiles and Commodity Exports. Today, the Group has a business volume exceeding Rs. 12 billion (US$ 300.00 million), enabling it to command strong growth sentiments. The Group boasts of a strong infrastructure and a potential to meet all logistic requirements of the customers, right from Custom Clearing, Custom Bonding & Warehousing to Stevedoring, Freight Forwarding and Bunkering.

Group Profile
Friends Group of Companies, headquartered in Gandhidham, Gujarat, has a dedicated approach towards creating various facilities for the port users, customers and traders and has constructively benefited various trade activities at the Kandla Port, which was earlier considered unfavorable due to lack of infrastructure. The Group has also identified and removed a number of trade barriers.

Through its multiple shipping related activities, the Friends Group has made Kandla Port a virtual business hub and has, in the process, become the backbone of the port’s infrastructural activities. The Group has grown from strength to strength and diversified into other areas like Salt Production and Export, Agro Trading and Iron Ore Mining as well.

Over the years, the Group has gained new heights in port operations, breaking its own records from time to time. The vast experience and expertise of the Group has been utilized to infuse a professional approach towards cargo handling business, which is essentially an unorganized sector. Along with this, the management has striven to bring in the latest technology and the best available practices to ensure smoothness in all its operations. A sharp vision as well as committed & focused efforts have made the Friends Group a name that personifies trust and quality.

Group Companies
Friends Group of Companies comprises of the following:

Gautam Freight Pvt. Ltd.
Friends Salt Works & Allied Industries
Terapanth Foods Ltd.
Friends & Friends Shipping Pvt. Ltd.
Friends Oil & Chemical Terminal Pvt. Ltd.
Arvind V. Joshi & Co.
Friends Mercantile Pvt. Ltd.
New Kandla Salt & Chemical Co. Pvt. Ltd.
The Kutch Salt & Allied Industries Ltd.
Strand Textile Mill Pvt. Ltd.
Kandla Export Corporation
Oswal Salt & Chemical Industries
Nidhi Mining Pvt. Ltd.
Pearl Harbor Ports & Warehousing Pvt. Ltd.

Vision
To evolve as an excellent service provider for major shipping facilities under one roof with the help of technological caliber, sound infrastructure and the best possible customer service.

Mission
To provide shipping related services at one of India’s fastest developing port at Kandla and to become the market leader in industrial salt production, iron ore and commodity exports.

Achievements and Awards
Given below is a list of our awards and achievements:

The first record for the fastest loading of 9,201.161 tonnes of SBM in bulk, on the vessel MV Paragon Pescadores on October 28; the entire operation took 13 hours and 55 minutes only
The second record for fastest loading of 34,107.018 tonnes of iron ore lumps in bulk, on vessel MV Ocean Predator on October 28; the entire operation took 28 hours and 15 minutes only
Honored as Best Performer by Kandla Port for various commodities in 2004-05
Handled 21,400 MT of zinc concentrate in a single day from MV Gant Star on 18th April 2004
Handled 31,050 MT of coal in a single day from MV Yasha H Mulla on 16th December 2003
Loaded 35,500 MT of salt in just 24 hours to MV Victory on 7th October 2004
Discharged 21,111 MT of scrap in just 23 hours from MV Spar Sirius on 7th November, 2005
'Best Exporter Award' for salt awarded to Friends Salt Works & Allied Industries by the Ministry of Commerce in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05.