Logistics 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 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.
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 real-time 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=ybRoVG7A99c
Keeping the safety of our employees in mind, our management made the wise decision by incorporating work from home (WFH) in the mid of March-2020. 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 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.
