Expanding Footprint

The following coverage appeared on pages 30-31 of Logistics&SCM magazine (print), November 2022 edition, Vol 01, Issue 07

The government has introduced the NLP which focuses on leveraging technology to give a boost to the logistics sector. What is your take on the same, especially when the interior parts of the country still have poor connectivity making it difficult for tracking shipments?

This is one of the many use cases where NLP will act as a great enabler. Since technology lies at the heart of the policy, it will push the logistics sector to accelerate its digital transformation journey. 

With an Integrated Digital System and a Unified Logistics Interface Platform, a business operating anywhere in the country could access and quickly partner with a plethora of logistics service providers and boost delivery serviceability across regions. Advanced GPS-enabled tracking technology drastically improves the visibility of logistics operations in poorly connected areas, and the tracking data can be further used to optimize supply chain planning.  

MSMEs have a major share in total manufacturing and exports. However, still, a larger section still does not have the required infrastructure or funding for adopting technology. How do you see these challenges?

MSMEs having purely on-premise infrastructure stand a great risk of being edged out by competition in terms of flexibility and adaptability. Moving toward SaaS-based,  plug-and-play, easy implementation and self-serve solutions will empower businesses to drastically reduce freight costs, drive real-time container visibility, proactively manage incidental charges, plan capacity weeks in advance, boost the end-customer experience, and achieve a lot more.

Even though a few OEMs are setting up systems in their vehicles for tracking of vehicles, the truck drivers, as well as the actual workforce on the ground, is not trained enough to handle the systems. How do you look at this situation?

Honing digital skills is critical to improving logistics efficiencies and reaping the benefits of digital transformation. While the government recognizes the digital skill gap and is focusing on addressing this challenge through several programs, including the National Logistics Policy, we still have a long way to go to eradicate this challenge. Investing in upskilling of the workforce is critical to future-proof any organization’s interest. The role of organizations and industry leaders is also paramount in addressing skill development issues, and building internal capacity. 

Shipsy caters to varied industries, including food, steel, automotive, 3PLs, etc. What are their expectations from a technology provider like Shipsy for improving efficiencies? Can you elaborate on the challenges faced by the food industry, especially while managing their backend food logistics?

Businesses across industries leverage our technology to automate and optimize their operations. We empower them to realize cost savings, reduce manual intervention, increase resource productivity, improve visibility, deliver on the evolving market dynamic, drive environment-friendly and customer-centric operations, and much more. 

Factors like delivery delays, poor customer visibility, inaccurate ETAs, unproductive delivery fleet, and inability to capture customer feedback can ruin customer experience when delivering prepared food.

AI, ML, and automation-powered smart logistics management solutions ensure seamless orchestration of own riders and 3PL utilization to scale on-time deliveries. Such a platform helps delivery managers auto-allocate orders based on delivery type, distance, order volume, cost, customer SLAs, rider workload, and much more. This ensures greater delivery profitability and superior customer experience. Moreover, the system sends a tracking link to the end customer, allowing them to track delivery progress in real-time. It also enables seamless COD settlements and reconciliation. Businesses can quickly capture customer feedback to validate NDRs and improve delivery planning. Intelligent routing boosts rider productivity and eliminates malpractices like fake locations. 

Today, the world’s most-loved pizza delivery chain leverages this technology to reduce average order allocation time by 45%, shrink steps for the delivery process by 77%, and achieve more. Dynamic route optimizers and en-route order clubbing reduce the miles traveled by 5%, eliminate empty miles, and lowers trip volumes by 6%, to facilitate faster and environment-friendly deliveries. It helps increase on-time deliveries by 24% and ensures 14% more deliveries per driver. 

For Shipsy, how are you using automation, AI, and analytics in transforming the way goods are moved and tech-enabled techniques to increase efficiency for your clients?

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning enable businesses to build self-governing supply chains and simultaneously save costs. The technology learns and evolves on the go from the data gathered over time to benefit the user. For instance, our AI and ML-driven intelligent freight procurement solution helps businesses to save up to 10% in freight procurement costs through competitive bidding. It fetches current rates and historical data enabling shippers to access the best freight rates every time. Such AI and ML-powered logistics management solutions are witnessing rapid deployment in the industry as they help procure the best freight rates, enhance delivery planning, optimize costs, select the right carriers/vendors, and better understand customers, and so on. 

Shipsy’s smart logistics management platform’s automation capabilities reduce manual intervention by up to 65%. It empowers businesses to save 6% in freight costs and drive 5-days faster plan-to-ship time. Automating alerts for key shipment milestones also helps businesses avoid unwanted charges in terms of detention and demurrage. Our platform’s analytics and predictive capabilities enable building proactive operations to manage and absorb unprecedented logistical disruptions. It alerts relevant stakeholders of a change in ETA, helps with demand forecasting, and more.

What is the way forward for Shipsy?

We will keep driving technological innovations to help logistics and supply chain-powered businesses reduce operational costs, expedite their sustainability goals, and deliver on evolving market dynamics. We look forward to expanding our geographical footprint and setting up regional headquarters in the UK and the US soon. We will also keep investing in onboarding new talent from across the globe.

SHIPSY MEDIA CONTACT

arjun.alva@shipsy.io