'Because of IT we value add to our customers' business and give them competitive advantage'

Having taken over as MD in 2006, Malcolm Monteiro has
been focusing on reinforcing the vision of Blue Dart, growing the business,
maintaining and growing market share, ensuring high customer service standards,
and continuing business as usual. He was the prime mover in the re-launch of
Blue Dart's website, www.bluedart.com-a quick response, interactive
eBusiness solutions site as well as building an extensive, secure countrywide IT
network. In an exclusive interview with Rajneesh De of Dataquest,
Monteiro speaks about the role technology plays in India's no1 logistics
provider. Excerpts:

How does the Blue Dart management look at IT as a strategic tool
to enhance its business?

As a leader in the business of supply-chain management, Blue Dart Express
recognizes the far-reaching scope of IT. Technology is integral to logistics for
thoughtful information management and sophisticated decision support tools. We
have incorporated and are further exploring solutions to extend and better the
range of services available to our customers and integrate them into our core
products. The technology gives a 360-degree solutions package to the customer
and gives Blue Dart a platform to offer a range of services to the customer
unmatched by any other player in this domain.

What are the parameters you follow to measure the RoI of IT
infrastructure deployed in Blue Dart? What would be the range of investment made
on technology?

IT is an integral part of our product offering. One of the reasons for Blue
Dart's premium positioning in the market place is the extensive and effective
use of IT both by our people as well as our customers. Over 79% of our regular
customers (in revenue terms) actively avail our technology offerings and derive
value out of it. We continue to innovate and develop for the benefit of our
customers in a demanding 24x7x365 world.

Till date, Blue Dart has invested over Rs 45 crore on
technology.

What are the Web-based solutions that you have in place and how
do they help your core business?

We have a range of eight tools; each specially designed to meet the needs of
different industries and services. TrackDart enables tracking the status of your
shipment by using the TrackDart box, which is available on the upper left panel
of every page on our website. You may track multiple shipments sent on Blue Dart
services between India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. MailDart emails sent to
track@bluedart.com with the waybill numbers will receive an automated response
providing the latest status of the shipments. For more advanced users,
InternetDart allows filtered views of tracking data for all packages dispatched
over the last 45 days.

PackTrack (applications program interface) is designed for any
client involved in logistics, distribution, and inventory control. ShopTrack is
designed specifically to support and enhance the services provided by a portal
or any e-business. The customer needs to enter the order-number of their
purchase, and the shipping and delivery details are displayed on the same page.
ImageDart enables users of Blue Dart's Apex (Air Package Express) and
Surfaceline services to download proof of delivery (POD) and delivery challans
(DC) online, from the Blue Dart website.

ShipDart provides user control over the shipping and
tracking processes and printing of waybills. It is installed at the
customer's premises in order to interface with their own system for the
pre-shipping and post-tracking activities.

What sort of mobile applications are being deployed in Blue
Dart?

At Blue Dart, we ensure that our technology and solutions are up-to-date. We
developed solutions like MobileDart which
simplifies tracking of shipments from anywhere across the
country by sending an SMS to 6767.

How does Blue Dart rate against global logistics leaders in
adopting new technology?

Blue Dart is known for its global standards in its operations, and its
technology and automation front is no different. At Blue Dart, we have developed
some of the finest IT offerings in the logistics industry. Blue Dart is the only
Indian air express company that has invested extensively in technology
infrastructure to add value to its customers' business and give them the
competitive advantage.

We have one of the largest private computer networks in India,
with over 2,240 computer terminals connected by dedicated leased lines, VSATs
and microwave links. Over 2,420 users access our email at 114 locations daily.
We also employ wireless, mobile telephones, radio sets and pagers extensively to
enhance our communication speed and connectivity with our troops on the field.
Our Customer Service Cell is equipped with automated call distribution systems (ACDs)
to provide quick response and support to our customers.

We are the only Indian express company to have indigenously
developed COSMAT II, which includes an advanced state-of-the-art track and trace
system for all our consignments. Consignments are scanned from pick up to every
transit point till delivery, using bar coding and laser scanner technology,
transmitting updates automatically to our Oracle database. This enables our
customers to receive real-time, complete and accurate information about their
consignments. For our aviation system, our in-house team has developed SMART
(Space Management Allocation Reservations and Tracking) for effective space and
revenue management.

What are your views on outsourcing IT
infrastructure/requirements to third parties? Is Blue Dart doing it mostly
in-house or outsourcing?

Outsourcing IT infrastructure will continue to grow as organizations look to
increase RoI, reliability, and quality of service. Traditional outsourcing such
as data warehousing has been supplemented with higher-end services including
application management, software development, and customer relations.

At Blue Dart, we have a dedicated in-house team striving
continuously to create differentiated delivery capabilities, quality services,
and customized solutions for its customers.