Recognised by World Economic Forum, this Mumbai startup brings IoT to logistics
Mumbai-based Transport Hub, founded in 2016, is a digital logistics assistant, which uses IoT to serve various business needs.
Whether it is tracking the maintenance of your vehicle (like changing a tyre or insurance renewal) or getting reports on vehicle efficiency and other data, there is no debate on technology beating manual efforts. Both B2C and B2B logistics come with basic necessities like GPS tracking, but B2B needs more customised technology as it works differently in terms of volume and speed. This is the idea behind Mumbai-based startup The Transport Hub (TTH), which uses IoT in logistics.
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The Indian logistics sector is estimated to be worth $215 billion by 2020. Technology, other than GPS, hasn’t yet entered into the sector to build efficiency and optimisation of resources. By providing integrated solutions to clients on a pay-as-you-go model, TTH is taking automation in logistics to the next level. It helps you avoid unauthorised usage of a vehicle as well as immobilise it remotely, using its technology. Additionally, you get instant alerts on call and email if there is an emergency and no GPS signal is available.
For its innovations, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) selected TTH to represent India at the World Economic Forum (WEF) last year. There, the company was recognised as one of the ‘New Champions 2018’, and is now a member of the WEF Global Growth Companies’ community.
Bootstrapped with the founder’s investment of about Rs 2 crore, The Transport Hub (TTH) claims to be the country’s first fully automated transport aggregator. Its Founder-CEO Rohit Chaturvedi is a technology and logistics expert with over 18 years of experience at companies including KPMG, AF Ferguson and Deloitte, and CRISIL. An alumnus of IIM Bengaluru, this engineering graduate was also a part of the startup team at Jasper Infotech, promoters of Snapdeal.
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Multiple services for multiple industries
TTH provides services like Vehicle Optimisation and profitability Solutions (VOPS), Improvement in Cold Chain Efficiency (ICE), Warehousing and Transportation Turnaround Solutions (WATTS), and Technology-enabled Real-Time Inventory Management (TRIM) for segments like transportation, retail, ecommerce, banking, pharmaceuticals, BPO, FMCG, and automobile industry. It aims to optimise warehousing, cold storages, transport, and inventory management. (All services, including warehousing management, are customisable.)
The platform utilises predictive analytics to match shippers/consignors and transporters most efficiently, and the two can rate each other. TTH’s electronic Proof-of-Delivery (POD) system can be integrated with the customer’s ERP (enterprise resource planning) system.
Rohit Chaturvedi, Founder and CEO, The Transport Hub.
Tech-intensive business
Being based in Mumbai, headquarters to most potential clients, has been an advantage for the company. Today, their clients include JNPT, KPMG, Adani Wilmar, Allana, and Maharashtra Road Transport, among other public and private sector companies.
However, Rohit says that the talent pool for IoT is small, adding, “The majority of this limited talent pool is concentrated in Bangalore as it is the startup hub of the country. This makes employability an issue in such specialised sectors in engineering.” Half the members of TTH’s team of 15 focusses on tech. The company is about to launch two more products based on machine learning.
Although TTH is not a capital-intensive business, it raised Rs 3.5 crore from angel investors recently, and is seeking to raise Rs 20 crore in the next six months for expansion.
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