Digital Leader 2018: KAPIL MAHAJAN:SAFEXPRESS

SAFEXPRESS | LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN 

KAPIL MAHAJAN, GROUP CIO

THE IT ORGANIZATION

Our IT organization has 10 major verticals including one for Enterprise architecture, ISMS, Innovation lab (emerging tech like AI, ML, RPA, Blockchain etc).

KEY IT SPENDING AREAS FY 2018-19

Networking and Infrastructure (SD-WAN, IP Telephony, Cloud etc), Financial ERP, AI, RPA. 

5 KEY SOLUTIONS DEPLOYED IN 2017-18

Oracle Fusion Financials, Enterprise Mobility App (Green APP), SD WAN (Cisco Miraki), IBM API Connect with Data Power, Salesforce CRM

WHAT DOES DIGITAL MEAN FOR YOU?

Digital to me means a continuously evolving journey, not an end achieved by building or provisioning few digital apps or interfaces. It requires taking a 360-degree view of business processes, evolving new business models and new revenue streams and using technology as an enabler and accelerator to drive these business changes.

NAME 3 BEST PRACTICES FOR ALIGNING IT WITH NEW NORMAL BUSINESS DEMANDS?

1) Developing deep business skills within the IT function thus enabling IT to be an effective change agent.

2) Use an Agile methodology to drive IT projects and use CI/CD (continuous integration, continuous delivery) to allow speedy and more effective strategic project executions.

3) Use innovation levers and new technology stack around AI and ML to speed up response to normal business demand and reduce the go to market time lead time.

WHAT IS THAT ONE KEY MESSAGE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE TO IT VENDORS?

IT vendors today need to have expertise in the business and domain areas of the clients that they are pitching their products to since that would enable them to become strategic partners with long-term engagements models rather than one-time solution providers.

SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES AS CIO (CURRENT AND PAST ROLES)

Implemented the CAMSS (Cloud, Analytics, Mobile, Social and Security) roadmap for Safexpress IT and as a part of this, one of a key milestone was a pure initiative driven solely by IT department from inception to ideation to implementation and the platform was called HOG (Hub on the GO). The technology solution was focused around direct optimization of operational efficiency (ie the efficiency of labor and the hub performance) in our major transshipment hubs thus resulting in faster loading and unloading of the vehicle leading to improved service level in the form of speedier deliveries across India. The project used our IoT platform of connected barcode scanners/readers (We recently executed a project to move all our locations to 100% barcode scanning, as a result, no manual scanning is allowed in our core ERP system) and leveraged the power of analytics and real-time data processing to build a dynamic operational dashboard that is now displayed on big screens/tablets in all our hubs and provides the operational team proactive alerts and real-time analytics to better manage the overall operations including the performance management and benchmarking for the OA (operational Assistants – employees who manage the loading and unloading of vehicles in the hubs).