Siddhi Vinayak Logistic Limited (SVLL) is one of the fastest growing companies in the transport sector. The organisation is involved in the business of carrying bulk liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), packed LPG, tractors, containers, steel material, dyes, cement, coal, etc. Deepak Baid, director, SVLL, talks about how technology has helped the company achieve operational efficiency and its future telecom plans. Excerpts…

How has technology adoption helped SVLL streamline its operations?

In the logistics and transport sectors, timely operations and constant connectivity among key members are of utmost importance. Over the years, telecom and IT have certainly helped us streamline our operations and achieve high productivity. The use of technology has helped us lower data processing costs and made it easier to handle and transfer large volumes of data among internal units of the organisation. For instance, teleworking has made scheduling off-work assignments and interacting with clients much easier. Further, cloud computing, which helps access data online, and outsourcing of non-key operations to third parties have helped reduce a major part of the operational costs. A wide range of hardware and software offerings available in the market have completely changed the client-service provider scenario at both the external and organisational levels.

What are the key enterprise solutions deployed by the organisation?

SVLL uses a host of centralised monitoring solutions. We have also deployed solutions such as enterprise resource planning and SAP to increase work productivity and improve organisational efficiency. The workforce also uses cloud-based technology for handling a large volume of mail and for secure data transfer. We conduct periodic vulnerability assessments of all programs and software used in the organisation.

What are the challenges faced in implementing new technologies?

The comfort level associated with the usage of a technology is what determines the challenges associated with its adoption. For example, if a new technology is difficult to adopt, it could pose challenges for the management for making a smooth transition. Also, limited time availability for imparting new technology skills to the workforce poses a challenge for a large organisation like SVLL, which has a vast network of offices across the country. For a big organisation, timely introduction of relevant technology becomes difficult. Further, the adoption of new technology has an element of uncertainty regarding the changes that it may bring in at different levels of the organisation.

What is the organisation’s telecom and IT blueprint for next year?

In the coming months, SVLL will focus on the adoption of cloud-based technology, integration of network technology like managed switches and accessible virtual private networks, and use of archival solutions to ensure efficient management of mail traffic and reduce data storage space.

What will be the key technology trends in the transport sector over the next two years?

Due to cloud-powered technologies, various industries are witnessing a revolutionary change. The workplace is being redefined by the growing millennial population, the globalisation of markets, the virtualisation of business processes, and emerging social and mobile technologies. While some companies are still on the sidelines of technology adoption, others are examining every facet of their business model and are adopting “new ways” of working that are more automated, collaborative and virtual. Telematics is one such technology that has the potential to bring about a transition in times to come. Being one of the most optimal technologies because of its ability to monitor vehicle-driving behaviour and communicate rich and detailed data back, telematics is going to contribute significantly to industrial development. The early adopters of telematics are already benefiting from this technology. Since telematics provides for more sophisticated data modelling and scorecard development, it helps in better decision-making and leads to core business process optimisation.