The Most Recommended Supply Chain Solution Providers

VOL 01 | ISSUE 03 | 2022

Mr. Ajai Joseph CEO

The know-how Dynamics of e-commerce in Import and Export

Transforming Digitally Role of digital transformation in supply chain management

The Most

Recommended

Suppl y Chain Solution Providers

Consolidated Shipping Line

An Innovative Freight Management Solutions Provider

Editor’s Note E DRIVING THE CONSUMER DEMAND WITH INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

very product that reaches you involves the cumulative work of several organisations. Right from the point of origin to the point of delivery, these organisations ensure that the product reaches the customer safely. While supply chains have always existed, orderly management of the entire chain guarantees timely and safe delivery of the product to the customer.

The importance of supply chain management was realised only in 1982 when Keith Oliver, a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, coined the term. A decade or so later, it came into being. It came to India much later but is a booming sector today. It is predicted that the supply chain industry will see 9-10 percent growth in the next few years.

However, a common concern has been of the discrepancies in the last mile of the supply chain. All the stakeholders in the chain tend to get disturbed at the last mile hitches. The customer will be pleased if the delivery is smooth and on time. After all, who likes panic calls at the last moment?

Besides, the reputation of the company and the supply chain service provider is at stake. The customer may not return if anything goes wrong.

Sumita Sarkar Editor-in-Chief

sumita@insightssuccess.com

Systematic and strategic coordination of activities of the various steps in supply chain ensures credibility and quality.

Generally, consumers tend to see the point of origin and the point of delivery. What they usually are unaware of is what happens in between. Hence, every step matters in a supply chain.

With the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and liberalisation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) supply, chain management got an impetus. Those who were already into it began upscaling their services. Technological advancements have helped supply chain solution providers to give smoother and more efficient services. Their innovative solutions have beaming customers.

However, managing the supply chain in a vast country like India with a developing economy is a big challenge. While there are many supply chain management companies, few stood out with their brilliant services. We featured them in our latest edition of Insights Success, The Most Recommended Supply Chain Solution Providers.

These companies are grabbing an enviable reputation by transforming the way supply chains function while also setting an example for others in the vertical to emulate.

Read this informative edition to learn more about this fastgrowing sector and the painstaking efforts these companies take for customer satisfaction. Also, do go through the specially curated articles by our in-house writers.

Happy Reading!

08 Consolidated Shipping Line An Innovative Freight Management Solutions Provider

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The know-how Dynamics of e-commerce in Import and Export

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Transforming Digitally Role of digital transformation in supply chain management

CON TENT

18

GRAB

Empowering the Supply Chain Niche with Steadfast Solutions

26 ODeX

Leveraging Technology for Document Exchange and Payment Facilitation

Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Deputy Editor Abhishaj Sajeev Managing Editor Abhishek Joshi

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The Most

Recommended

Suppl y Chain Solution Providers

Company Name

Management

Brief

Consolidated Shipping Line

Ajai Joseph, CEO

Consolidated Shipping Line works on a uniquely flexible approach to business realizing it's all about making quick decisions at the right time enables it to be the preferred choice of the clients.

Geeta Shipping And Clearing Services

Dr Sailesh Surve, CEO and Managing Director

Since Three decades , Geeta Shipping has been building a legacy of trust by offering Freight Management services that include moving cargo by Air, Sea and Road.

Grab

Nishant Vora, Co-founder and Director

Grab is a last mile logistics service for businesses and enterprises to manage their last mile deliveries. Its fleet of riders are connected via a technology platform that enables pickup and delivery of orders across the city.

ODeX India Solutions

Liji Nowal, Founder and Managing Director

ODeX, one of it's kind online platform for Shipping Documentation Exchange - connects everyone with all stake holders in the shipping industry.

SCM FOR YOU

Rakesh Sharma, Founder

SCM is a fully integrated, supply chain management provider with long-standing experience in handling complex logistics.

Cover Story

Mr. Ajai Joseph CEO

Consolidated Shipping Line An Innovative Freight Management Solutions Provider

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We try to balance human interven on with AI and other innova ve tools

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The Most Recommended Supply Chain Solution Providers

F

reight and Logistics is the most important industry space globally. Import and export of materials play a solid role in the country's economy. Freight not just delivers the essentials but also proves to be a robust culture in generating capital. Air and Ocean freight are some of the most used ways in material delivery. Freight and logistics prove to be quintessential while stuck on any importing and exporting difficulties. One company solving every difficulty and considering the client at the top priority is Consolidated Shipping Line.

Built on a solid foundation of experience and reputation in the freight forwarding services industry, Consolidate Shipping Line works on a uniquely flexible approach to business. It realizes that it is all about making quick decisions at the right time that enables it to be the customers' preferred choice.

Yarn of Consolidated Shipping Line Established in the '90s to offer efficient freight forwarding services globally in and out of India, Consolidated Shipping

Line is proud to announce that it offers a wide range of shipping and logistics solutions to its customers irrespective of how big or small they are from anywhere to everywhere.

Operating from India, a unique nation with its complexities, diversified culture, language, and trade barriers, the team aims to be as close as possible to its customers to understand them better. It tries aligning its freight forwarding services that suit the customer requirements for the goods to reach their destination in time with the most economical costs.

The company has more than 200 direct employees. The company is headquartered in Cochin, Kerala, and has branch offices in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Tuticorin, Coimbatore, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Vizag (Visakhapatnam).

Being in the service industry, people are the company's assets. It operates with a mix of industry veterans that will underpin the vitality of the youth, enabling them to be innovative yet systematic and responsible. Its efforts go into

investing in quality people, training them the CSL way so that there is no shortage of talent and qualified professionals at CSL.

We try listening to clients and take the right steps

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Aware that those customers are the heart of any business and they come to the company by choice, Consolidated Shipping offers its undivided attention to all customers. It does not discriminate between customers from vendors as small from the big. Once the company accepts a customer through its KYC program, it renders professional and sincere efforts to keep them satisfied with its services. It is all about going that extra mile for the same money. The firm's philosophy is to do business to make a reasonable profit for the company.

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Inspirational Leader Dreams coming True Ajai Joseph, the CEO, started consolidated Shipping services, famously known as CSS, in Dubai, in the year 1995, and in 1996 the team entered India by acquiring Anchorage Shipping Kochi. He expanded the business in the Middle East and built a state-of-the-art warehousing and distribution center in Jebel Ali. In the year 2001, the team of Consolidated entered the Americas with an office in the Big Apple/New York and soon in Vancouver. By 2004 it was operating over 35 offices worldwide, employing around 1200 people. Since 2005 Ajai's focus was on India and seeing the potential, he started many verticals related to shipping and logistics, including domestic express courier services.

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The long-term plan and the goals of the company are to s ck to its fundamental principle of having a solid founda on built upon experience and be true to its customers

Ajai started his career when he was in his early twenties. At that age, traveling to different countries, meeting people, experiencing life was of great interest, and logistics was only a reason. During his travel, many fascinating things that he experienced lured him into logistics.

To mention a few, visiting the huge Air France Cargo Facility at Paris operated by six men and the robotic pallets, a truck with 48 wheels operating with remote control where the driver standing outside the truck, manoeuvring it using a joystick, a visit to the 10,000 Teu ship (the biggest during those days) were all interesting aspects of the trade from a youngster's point of view. However, being in the trade and learning matured him. Further, he fell in love with the trade as he could learn new things, technology, machines, AI integrated systems.

Freight-trait The company provides Ocean freight, Airfreight, Land transportation, Sea-Air, Project Forwarding, Customs Clearances. It provides value-added services such as Free consultancy and survey for all shipping needs, Licensed House customs clearance (CHB), Cargo Insurance, and domestic services in India using the India rail network, road, and air connectivity.

Sustaining Difficulties Dynamically Ajai has the experience of establishing companies in different parts of the World, Dubai, the Middle East, the US, and India. But he would say places like Dubai are much easier to own and operate compared to many other places.

New York was challenging because compliance in the US is a process. But he would say India was probably the toughest and the most challenging. To have established in

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The company is affordable for its clients so that it has a win-win situa on, which is the key to any successful rela onship

Learn from the Best Anybody can become an entrepreneur who is willing to work hard, with dedication and passion in any field. Ajai has seen a lot of youngsters who come to him for the job, but he sees no spirit in most of their eyes. Some of them cannot even furnish a decent CV without mistakes.

Coming to Supply Chain Management is a vast industry.

There are 2PL, 3PL, and 4PL, and now people are talking about 5PL. It is like 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G it goes on, and the difference between 3PL, 4PL, and 5PL is the value additions. There are more and more elements added to the supply chain. There are plenty of opportunities for a youngster, and those who are hungry to learn will grow.

Future Freight

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ten or twelve different states and cities and in every state you go there are entirely different rules and regulations. The culture is different, and people's attitudes are different. The same applies when it comes to the government departments as well.

The company is not interested in making quick money. It wants to be transparent with its customers and provide the most efficient services in the most economical terms. The team has its USPs, and they create new verticals so that it can serve its customers as a one-stop shop.

In the trade, the team needs to have a good network of partners. Individuals being good in India is not enough.

People need to have an excellent agency network to make their services competitive and successful.

The industry is growing technologically. AI and drones are taking their due share. The company utilizes technologies to improve itself, but he still believes the human interface is crucial to the trade. If you go to America and try to get somebody on the phone, it is so difficult.

The team needs to travel a lot, attend many conferences, and have the right kind of staff to offer what they promise.

In India, people are from different backgrounds and cultures, so finding the right set of people to work with a common culture is challenging.

“Maybe you have to wait for 15-20 minutes and press 20 buttons to get a live human voice. I am not a big fan of that, but I am not averse to any technology that helps us serve the customer better,” says Ajai.

Shining in the Pandemic

Detailed Knowledge

It was challenging times like every trade that got affected in the pandemic. The shipping and logistics industry was no exception. Though the shipping and logistics industry is classified under essential services, India was in a lockdown.

Many of the cops who were managing the lockdown and people movement did not know what logistics is. The company had difficult times convincing them to let its skeleton staff come to the office and attend urgent shipments and customs clearances.

Supply chain management is getting bigger and better, especially after the COVID-19 scenario where everything was locked up. Consolidated Shipping Line realized the importance of storing materials for the long term. It heard stories that people were buying foodstuff and other essentials in India and storing it for a year during pandemic.

Most of its staff was supportive, and they took the risk by coming to office of all odds against them and fighting the pandemic. Others who were not required to be physically present were managing work from home efficiently. Since the team is handling many Pharma customers, it is satisfying to bea part of India's fight against COVID.

Panic buying was spotted not only in India but in other countries too. Post pandemic, many countries started buying bulk quantities, and the freight rates are at a soaring record high. These are green signals for the logistics industry as a whole and the need for good warehousing facilities in India with a smart supply chain management solution.

Role of

Digital

Transformation in

Supply Chain

Management

14 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

Transforming Digitally

T

he next era of supply chain management (SCM) is in a complete transitional phase due to the digital phenomenon. In this age, the traditional boundaries of organisations have been erased. And the lines between physical and digital have blurred to the extent that suppliers and customers are constantly connected.

According to a McKinsey study in 2017, the digitalisation level of supply chains was at 43% (lowest of the fivebusiness areas under study). And only two percent of the executives said that the supply chain was on their digital strategy focus list.

And just four years later, that is, by the end of 2021, 42% of the organisations agreed that the pandemic accelerated their digitalization plans.

This study was conducted by CSCMP and ToolsGroup, which further showed that 90% (out of 200 supply chain professionals) of the respondents were somewhere on the digital adoption path.

An ability to keep pace with evolving customer expectations and behaviours (44%); the demand to improve automation so that team can concentrate on higher-level activities (43%); and an overall need to enhance business performance (42%) are the top three business drivers for digitalisation planning.

Major other factors include customer service level improvement (39%); enhancing response mechanism to unforeseen disruptions (35%), and increasing supply chain resilience (34%).

15 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

COVID-19 has transformed the entire logistical landscape forever. Thus, in a span of two years, supply chains had to evolve decades just to adjust to this unprecedented paradigm shift.

Digital Supply Chain Strategy The new normal brought by the pandemic demands companies, irrespective of their size, to adopt digitalisation into their supply chain. This will benefit them in many ways.

Cost-service quality balance - The key to success is customer satisfaction. But goods-in-stocks all the time might lead to overproduction and then loss. This can be avoided entirely by transforming supply chains into digitalised ones. Customer satisfaction and cost-cutting can surely be achieved by this strategic shift.

Data-driven SCM - Real-time data and info on raw material availability and manufacturing delay can eliminate out-ofstock inventory and late shipment issues. Hence, digital data-driven SCM can help companies to have a plan B for uncertain times.

Also, such a strategy can analyse your past deals with your suppliers by comparing prices, raw materials, quality of services, etc.

Real-time data is the only solution for the problem of organizational silos. Only it can bring complete transparency to your SCM's cost-effectiveness. A Forbes study reveals that 84% of the supply chain leaders accepted that real-time data eliminated organisational silos across their entire value chain.

Data-driven SCM will allow you to control cost centres, address procedural gaps, measure performance, monitor progress, improve decision making, and boost overall staff and company performance.

Change Management - A seamless digital transformation is a make-or-break scenario for global organisations in the wake of an uncertain post-pandemic world.

Since only one percent of global supply chain leaders possess a comprehensive digital strategy in place for their SCM, streamlining is their only choice. A proper change management and faster digital tech adoption will increase the digitalised SCM from 1 to 23 percent by 2025.

Although, there is a general misunderstanding about the concept of a digital SCM. People think of it as placing spreadsheets on an online platform. But it refers more to the developing and implementing advanced techs like AI, ML, cloud-based computing, blockchain, IoT, etc. It will improve traditional supply chains by reducing errors, improving resource efficiency, and providing priceless insights.

With the pandemic still going on, the remote work culture is the new normal. It makes maintaining transparency even more critical. And accurate real-time data management is the key here. This further ensures that your transportations budget management is smooth and fruitful.

Battling Disruptions - Global supply chains saw some 4200 disruptions in the first nine months of the year 2020. They were 14% up from 2019. The data is yet to come for 2021, but overall scenario went from bad to worst.

As disruptions are expected to further extend their reach with the third and fourth wave of the pandemic coming in 2022, the supply chain must go digital to become resilient.

Also, climate change is pushing the need for digital solutions within SCM further. A WHO, UNDP, and IPCC's joint report reveal that workplace heat reduces labour productivity by 20%. This makes the digital SCM case urgent as automated machines can unburden their human counterparts.

Agility: The Future of SCM Traditional supply chains were the things of the past. They are obsolete in today's world. Complete digital transformation of the supply chain management is the only way to remain in the pace of rapid industrial digitalisation, leading to a revolutionary Industry 4.0 scenario.

Supply chains of the future are going to be agile. They will have to accomplish more in a shorter time. All end-to-end processes like planning, designing, manufacturing, and logistics must be integrated with the latest techs to get a streamlined ecosystem.

Process re-engineering, profound redesign of business processes, and company-specific adaptation of digitisation will open the space for an impeccable SCM strategy.

16 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

- Gaurav Wankhede

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Empowering the Supply Chain Niche with Steadfast Solutions

Mr Nishant Vora Co-founder and Director

18 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

The Most Recommended Supply Chain Solu on Providers

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GRAB is the fastest growing logistic platform offering services ranging from forward, reverse, exchange, distribution, and many such supply chain services

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S

upply chain management has been recognized as a logistics or procurement department since its initial stage; however, it experienced a drastic change with the active involvement of technology.

Technology and its advancements introduced efficient solutions to improvise and expand the global market for goods and raw materials.

As a result, the need for highly trained individuals and companies that understood the complexities in the modern supply chain went on increasing.

Moreover, there was an immense thrust in the companies to provide significant and effective solutions to enhance the exchange and distribution process for businesses and their potential clients.

This was when GRAB came into the picture.

GRAB's service offering is not just sector and business agnostic, but also we offer our clients a bouquet of options ranging from forward, reverse, exchange, distribution, and many such supply chain services.

GRAB, a home-grown start-up pioneered tech-enabled last-mile solutions in India since its inception in 2013. It is India's leading and thriving logistics company that is providing its logistics service and solutions to businesses and other essential service providing platforms. These platforms include general stores, medical stores, and financial institutions.

With one of the widest presences in over six hundred cities, we have built an expansive fleet network of 100,000 that comprises bike riders, three and four-wheeled vehicles, and electric bikes and vans. The unique part of this network lies in being crowdsourced, allowing our suppliers to expand and compress, catering to its clients' demand patterns.

In an exclusive interview with Insights Success, team GRAB sheds light on the company's journey, the current industrial scenario, and opinions on the future of the company.

In a recent transaction, Reliance Industries has obtained a majority stake in GRAB that has fuelled growth towards Reliance's digital commerce initiatives in catering to both it is JioMart and new commerce platforms.

Please describe our audience about GRAB in detail.

GRAB (Grab. in) is India's largest and fastest-growing logistics company that focuses on providing last-mile delivery services to various businesses ranging from restaurants, online grocers, offline and online retail, e-Commerce platforms, general stores, pharmacies, banks, etc.

Please brief us about Mr Nishant Vora and shed some light on his professional tenure.

Mr Nishant Vora is the Co-Founder and Director at GRAB. Nishant has paved the way for the company to mark a presence and pioneered techenabled logistic solutions.

Nishant leads the Operations and Strategy at GRAB. Having founded three successful companies himself, Nishant not only has a strong business background but is also a visionary and people person.

Nishant is an alum of the Mohawk College, Ontario, Canada, and has won many accolades through his academic and professional journeys.

He has worked with esteemed brands like Toyota, General Electric, etc., before founding GRAB (Grab a Grub Services Ltd or Grab. in) along with two of his childhood friends, Pritesh Sanghvi and Jignesh Patel.

With over 15 years of diverse experience, Nishant now envisages taking GRAB to new heights of success.

What was the inspiration behind the commencement of GRAB in the supply chain solution providers' industry?

A decade ago, the logistics industry in India was pretty unorganised. We encountered many businesses that were struggling with fixed delivery setup, no technology input, unoptimized costs, unutilised resources, etc. These were just a few amongst the many challenges.

During some conversations, we realised the ground realities and saw a potential for change. One of the restaurateurs we met told us how he had a fleet of three bikers that are idle on most days and were utilized fully only on Saturday nights, and despite that, struggles with delivery timelines on weekends continued.

His customers were unhappy when delivery was delayed while the restaurateur had no alternative cost option.

19 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

This was when we were determined to create a tech abled delivery platform that elevates the entire delivery experience from smart order assignment, delivery tracking, navigation to the customer while optimizing the cost for our client.

all processes required to set up all the hyperlocal logistic models, we did it all. We went through our challenges of trial and errors to arrive at the right delivery model that has evolved today.

This was obviously the foundational idea we initiated with, and over the years, we have improvised and built on the operational and tech stack that provides our clients' customers with an unparalleled delivery experience.

Brief us about the diversified services GRAB offers to its clients GRAB specializes in providing lastmile logistics solutions. Our sector agnostic tech platform allows us to cater to businesses ranging from restaurants, online grocers, offline and online retail commerce stores.

GRAB is the fastest growing logistic platform offering services ranging from forward, reverse, exchange, distribution, and many such supply chain services.

By combining local know-how and technological expertise, Grab provides time-specified services, ingenious and customized solutions, and maximum satisfaction to our discerning list of clientele, including JioMart, Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, McDonald's, KFC, FedEx, Big Basket, Big Bazaar, and many more.

What were the initial challenges you encountered while establishing GRAB? A decade ago, when we launched our platform, we were the first movers offering such services to businesses.

There were no ready reckoners for us to refer to, and we completely started from scratch.

Understanding the needs, meeting the demands, detangling, and assimilating

How was GRAB affected during the pandemic, and how did you manage to curb the damages, all the while providing the best solution to clients and maintaining the safety of your employees?

The pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and curbs actually fuelled exponential growth to our company, given that our last-mile delivery offering was critical to get the necessities and essentials at the doorstep for people.

We saw this uptick, especially in our grocery segment. While we saw our delivery volumes boom, we also took on the challenge of ensuring our delivery partners remained safe by having continuous sanitization processes and subsequent vaccination drives.

There were COVID protocols set in place, and all our staff and riders were given the training to follow them. We also equipped our riders with necessary requirements like PPE kits, gloves, sanitisers, etc. Our focus was the safety of our clients, our fleet, and our staff.

What would you like to advise the aspirants who want to become entrepreneurs and make a mark in the supply chain management solutions space?

India is a massive market for logistics, and while this industry is transforming, there are still plenty of areas that remain untapped and unsolved.

internationally proven model. The sector has immense potential for growth and innovation.

Where do you envision GRAB eventually and what are your goals in the future? How do you plan to embrace the innovations happening in your industry?

We are confident of maintaining the top position in our segment of last-mile services for businesses and leading the way for the logistics sector. While we will continue to grow geographically and expand our business, we also have some unique and innovative offerings in the pipeline that will add to a new vertical of businesses.

We have always taken initial moves in adopting innovative methods to maintain operational excellence and integrate tech innovations.

Whether it is the three-minute digital onboarding or the only logistics platform to have a virtual wallet enabling daily pay-out to partners or a COVID audit application to track our fleet safety, we will continue to revolutionize logistics.

What is the current industrial scenario of the supply chain management solutions space?

Given the ongoing pandemic, there is a lot of momentum in businesses that have logistics as a cornerstone.

Whether it is the quick commerce grocery segment or express solutions for B2C brands, many opportunities require a unified tech solution that can cater to varying supply chain demands.

This approach, coupled with a flexible fleet network, is the primary means for time and cost optimizations.

The two cents for budding entrepreneurs would be using technology to solve local logistics challenges rather than adapting an

20 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

Dynamics of

e-commerce

in

Import and

Export

22 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

The know-how

T

he Indian market was enlightened by ecommerce, especially in the last two years. The pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Indian e-commerce industry.

As per the EasyEcom report, the e-commerce market size, which was US$40.44 billion in 2019, rose to US$52.57 billion in 2020, a 30% jump. It further shot up to somewhere around US$84 billion, a whopping almost 60% leap.

That means that in a span of 24 months, the ecommerce market size doubled. This is excellent news both for the industry as well as for the customers in these severely restricted and uncertain times.

Similarly, in Indian foreign trade, as per the PIB, overall imports grew from US$47.53 billion in 2019 to US$68.49 billion in 2021, with a dip to US$40.29 billion in 2020 due to the lockdown amidst the pandemic.

Exports also saw growth from US$42.89 billion in 2019 to US$44.52 billion in 2020 and US$54.06 billion in 2021, a 21% yearly growth.

Now, e-commerce plays an essential part in Indian import, as consumers are purchasing global brands more and more doing online shopping.

In the same way, Indian exports, which contribute up to 20% to India's GDP, can boost their contribution further if MSMEs are empowered to leverage e-commerce.

MSMEs' share of GDP is one-third, and they account for half of India's exports. If backed by technology, they can play a major role in rising Indian D2C brands' global popularity. That is why GOI is concentrating more on this factor through its 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative. e-commerce Dynamics The retail industry could realign itself to the fast-changing consumer expectations, their behavior, and rapidly evolving business environment only because of e-commerce and unprecedented technological breakthroughs. These include artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, internet of things (IoT), etc.

These techs moved beyond the backend and transformed the frontend. They dominated the way retailers do their business, that is from planning, designing, and production to marketing, delivering, and servicing.

AI Revolution - AI was already there at the backend for managing inventory, monitoring the supply chain, and driving logistics efficiency. But it came to the forefront, helping extensively in stock and sales management, customer engagement, and management through chatbots and virtual assistance.

Companies are now using it in marketing outreach campaigns and in-store management as well.

Anywhere Delivery Model - e-commerce is based exclusively on an anywhere delivery model. That is why it is gaining popularity amongst not only new millennials but also amidst the not-so-tech-savvy consumers from the remotest areas of the country.

country and deliver them to their B2B customers through these channels. This was due to the restrictions put on during the strict lockdowns. At such times, faster, better, and reliable delivery became an important parameter when retailers gauged the effectiveness of an importer.

Dynamics of e-commerce in Indian Foreign Trade The year 2022 is going to see the introduction of a new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), which will create a broader guideline for better cross-border trade for the future. The pandemic has changed the focus from nations to ecommerce giants.

Past FTP was praised by many as progressive. But COVID19 put forth many challenges, which got accelerated over the last two years. Not only for India, but the pandemic was catastrophic for the whole international trade.

Thus, Indian traders, trade associations, and ministerial advisory groups are looking for a major shift in focus onto digitisation and e-commerce.

Indian MSMEs empowered by e-commerce Exports Though the global markets were always vast, Indian exporters have traditionally limited their hopes due to various challenges. These include huge initial investments, cross-border payments, supply chain complexities, and uncertainty of demands.

However, in the last decade, due to the penetration of the internet, smartphones, and technological evolution, there was a transformation in the overall functioning of the Indian export business.

Many entry barriers for Indian MSMEs to operate in global markets are lowering due to the advancements of ecommerce exports.

An e-commerce/direct-to-customer (D2C) export is where a business can directly sell its products or services to the customers who are located abroad and expand their reach and profits.

Thousands of Indian MSMEs are reaping benefits from this growing popularity and increasing demand for Indian products and services. It is also helping them create a niche for themselves and image building for future Indian brands.

Thus e-commerce is capable of taking a local innovation and turning it into a global phenomenon, changing the dynamics of Indian foreign trade.

This is undoubtedly helping importers, who are using the ecommerce model to import goods in bulk from outside the 24 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

- Gaurav Wankhede

Leveraging Technology for Document Exchange and Payment Facilitation

L

ogistics is an essential aspect of supply chain management.

It entails the preparation, execution, and administration of commodities, services, and information from the point of origin to the point of consumption. Logistics is the coordination of the complex patterns of production planning, traffic and transportation, import and export operations, shipping and receiving, buying, warehousing, inventory management, and customer service.

Companies consider logistics to be a

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We provide a simplified way of processing exports information, documentation, and payments

vital component of the supply chain. It manages, organizes, and monitors the resources required to transport items in a seamless, timely, cost-effective, and dependable way.

Few operations in your supply chain have as much influence on your business as your mode of transportation. Delivery techniques guarantee that deliveries to and from your facilities go smoothly and arrive at their destinations on time. Because transportation is critical to your company’s performance, you must incorporate it in your supply chain management plan. In fact, transportation is regarded as one of the three fundamental components of supply chain management. One company providing top-notch supply chain management services is ODeX. ODeX stands for Online Document Exchange.

In an exclusive interview with Insights Success, Liji Nowal, Founder and Managing Director at ODeX, speaks about her company’s USP’s and her professional journey. Below are the highlights of the interview.

Please describe ODeX in detail.

We are India’s first digital platform for online documents exchange and

payments facilitation for the ocean shipping industry and EXIM trade.

ODeX connects various stakeholders of the Shipping Industry, viz., Exporters, Importers, Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers, Ports, Banks, Terminals, etc., on a single platform.

Liji Nowal, will you brief us about you and shed some light on your professional tenure.

I am the Founder and Managing Director of ODeX. Founded in 2015, ODeX is focused on building a complete documentation and payments management platform for the container shipping industry. ODeX is now live in India, GCC, and West Africa.

Prior to ODeX, I also co-founded Esfera and Aster; a software solutions firm focused on IoT and WFM products. I have also been a co-founder at an IOT start-up in the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

At ODeX – I am passionately focused on building complete documentation and payment management solutions for the ocean shipping industry – and scaling ODeX globally. I have been an active speaker and have also been part of various industry forums.

26 | January 2022 | www.insightssuccess.in

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The Most Recommended Supply Chain Solution Providers

Before beginning my entrepreneurial journey, I had held senior positions in business strategy and market research at Fortune 100 organizations.

I have over two decades of experience in Business Strategy, Marketing, Research, and Sales.

What is your inspiration behind entering the supply chain solution providers’ industry?

ODeX was started with a mission to transform the Indian Ocean Shipping Industry from a pen and paper compound to an easy click solution, managing multiple aspects of the EXIM trade.

What different types of services do you provide to your clients?

The services offered by ODeX to EXIM Trade are Electronic Invoices, Payments, Delivery Order, HBL, Shipping Bill, VGM, Gate Pass, Terminal Payments, Container Security Deposit, etc. ODeX has more than 25k+ organizations registered with 30k + users with a daily transaction of 20k+.

What hurdles have you encountered while establishing the company?

We have always been very optimistic about our approach. Talking about realtime scenarios, there are always hurdles while incorporating changes in the existing work structure in the business process. But to overcome and aim towards your mission is a real achievement.

How was ODeX affected during the pandemic, and how did you manage to curb the damages while providing the best solution to clients and maintaining the safety of your employees?

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the entire globe, and we were also a part of

it. But, being focussed on the digital front, we had successfully launched various products, which helped our customers and partners during COIVD. Link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb RoVG7A99c Keeping the safety of our employees in mind, our management made the wise decision by incorporating work from home (WFH) in the mid of March2020. And till date, 70% of our staff is working from home.

What would you like to advise youth who want to become entrepreneurs and make a mark in the supply chain management solutions space?

Don’t think a lot. Plan your dreams Gear your skill – Accelerate the hard

Liji Nowal Founder and M. D.

work and then enjoy the passion.

Where do you envision ODeX to be in the long run, and what are your goals in the future? How do you plan to embrace the innovations happening in your industry?

We at ODeX have a clear vision of being the best digital service provider in the Ocean Shipping and Logistics Trade by simplifying the process.

What is the current industrial scenario of the supply chain management solutions space?

Huge scope of work is awaiting in the future for companies like us.

Digitization, AI, and Robotics play a major role in the near future for SCM.