Tiger Logistics India Limited, which went public in 2013 after being incorporated in 2000, is a leading provider of end-to-end supply chain solutions in India. It offers logistics services like international freight forwarding, customs clearance, supply chain management, project logistics, and cold chain logistics. Headquartered in Delhi, Tiger Logistics has branch offices in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Veraval, Mundra, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Kolkata.
The company has made significant investments in telecom and IT infrastructure in order to optimise its day-to-day operational activities. According to chairman and managing director Harpreet Singh Malhotra, “We constantly upgrade our telecom and IT networks to keep pace with the fast changing technology landscape. The adoption of the latest technology has helped us improve productivity by achieving maximum output in the shortest possible time period. This, in turn, has allowed us to handle higher volumes of business and more clients.”
tele.net takes a look at Tiger Logistics’ telecom and IT infrastructure, the related applications currently in use, and the company’s infrastructure expansion plans…
Current infrastructure
Tiger Logistics’ core IT infrastructure comprises leased lines and broadband for connecting its head office and branch offices. At present, it is using a database application through Logisys application provided by Softlink Global Private Limited. The application, based on Microsoft’s SQL server, helps track and manage data flow for all business transactions. The server supports critical functions like billing, accounting, documentation and customer support. Logisys also hosts data regarding freight shipments and provides the complete life cycle details of each consignment. It serves as a single point of control for the company’s key activities. Tiger Logistics also uses various web-based interfaces to cater to diverse customer requirements through customised reporting, pre-service alerts and other notifications, thereby providing a holistic service experience.
The company is also heavily dependent on its email server system, MDaemon, which supports official internal communication as well as communication with the outside world. MDaemon offers features like WorldClient, which lets users access and manage email, address books and calendars through their web browser from any part of the world. A key advantage of the MDaemon email server is that it supports mobile devices even when users are on the move. This has helped Tiger Logistics increase its productivity manifold and contributed to the development of a paperless environment between the company and its clients. The company also uses MDaemon ComAgent, a chat platform for its employees that facilitates the internal exchange of business information. All employees have access to this platform and instant communication between them ensures time and cost savings in the execution of business-related activities. The workforce is more agile as it is connected on a 24x7 basis and has quick access to information.
Given that logistics is an IT-intensive industry, Tiger Logistics has taken the lead in deploying a host of mobile and enterprise solutions provided by BlackBerry and Microsoft Office 365. The company has equipped its workforce with hand-held devices to ensure their access to databases and other critical information even when they are on the ground.
Tiger Logistics also uses global positioning system (GPS) technology for tracking cargo and shipments. This ensures effective fleet management and contributes to lowering operational costs. With GPS technology, fleet managers can analyse and determine the closest vehicle to a customer and its accurate arrival time, identify appropriate routes for the vehicle, and accurately track consignments en route to any destination. This helps identify and minimise the loss of packages.
Guarding networks from external threats is top priority for logistics companies as they deal in high-value goods and sensitive data. Tiger Logistics uses firewalls, Symantec Endpoint security and the MacAfee Endpoint Protection Suite for protection from internal and external security threats. The company’s network is safeguarded through AnexGATE, a security firewall that protects systems from potential cyberattacks, Trojan horse threats and malware attacks.
Tiger Logistics has adopted technology to integrate different processes and provide industry stakeholders a single point of contact to ensure efficient operations. Malhotra concludes, “Understanding and implementing new technology and training employees for leveraging new infrastructure have always posed challenges. Despite that, we are evaluating our business requirements to plan future upgrades in the company’s IT infrastructure.”