Expolanka Holdings Plc built its global logistics business, EFL, on an asset-light model which helped it scale and quickly expand across markets in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

EFL helps large global manufacturers and retailers by managing complex logistics for them. Because goods enter and exit several countries on their journey from manufacturer to buyer, EFL excels at managing the complexity of multiple laws and jurisdictions, taking on the paperwork from customs clearances, bills of lading, and cargo insurance. Speed was a priority for EFL, and fashion retailers in the US and the UK, for whom time means everything, depend on EFL to collect all their orders from manufacturers located in different parts of the world for timely shipments.

Over the years, the group invested considerable resources to expand EFL’s presence in the US, Europe, and across Asia with major fashion brands entering high-value retail markets in China, Hong Kong, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In 2020, EFL entered Belgium, Denmark, Taiwan, and Thailand.

While the group’s asset-light model has helped its global expansion thus far, Expolanka floated a technology company called ITX 360 to accelerate growth in a digital world on the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Saif Yusoof, Managing Director of ITX 360 tells us more about the tech company in this interview.

Expolanka Holdings Plc conceived ITX 360 so it can scale its global logistics business with digital technology. How has that journey been so far?

ITX 360 began with 50 plus tech professionals who focused on partnering top global tech firms specialising in logistics and supply chain management to provide state-of-the-art solutions to Sri Lankan companies. Today, ITX 360 has expanded to a team of 150 professionals headed by Silmy Ahamed, a veteran in Sri Lanka’s IT industry, and Imran Vilcassim, a former Country Manager for Microsoft Sri Lanka.  

ITX 360 is not merely a software solutions provider. For instance, the company has partnered with Körber, a leading digital supply chains solutions provider to introduce a state-of-the-art solutions stack including digital warehouse management systems that integrate automation, voice, and robotics in material handling to suit any scale of business.

EFL can aspire to become the Tesla of logistics and supply chain management: that is the vision for ITX 360. In this regard, we are encouraged, and indeed proud, of our own registered Internet protocol address developed in-house called Cargotool.

Cargotool is a dynamic end-to-end transport management system that can be used by manufacturers and retailers of any size. For instance, a company with or without its own transportation fleet can integrate the system with third-party logistics companies. Thus, Cargotool provides full visibility of merchandise with live data and notifications and also enables efficient route planning and scheduling cargo.

While our aim with Cargotool was to offer clients full visibility, we also had to ensure that their investments in tech delivered satisfactory ROIs. We understood that for most companies, technology was as challenging as managing supply chains in today’s fast-paced yet volatile and uncertain world, which has its own challenges ranging from pilferage to on-time deliveries, high fuel costs and constant maintenance. ITX 360 developed Cargotool to be the one-stop solution to all these challenges and also deliver better ROIs in the process as well.

For any business, including SMEs, keen to invest in new technology but are hesitant because they believe tech costs are too high, ITX 360 is the answer.

ITX 360 is not only focusing on logistics and supply chains. Can you elaborate on this?

The company has gone beyond its focus on the needs of the logistics sector and looked at how businesses, both large and small, can leverage digital tech to transform the workplace. We can now help shape the future of the workplace across multiple industries.

ITX 360 focuses on multiple business verticals that include digital solutions that cover a wide range of products and solutions from boardroom digitization to information security, ELV solutions, cloud technologies and workflow automation, and managed IT solutions that offer remote and onsite technical support services. Our bespoke software development solution offers robust, secure, and scalable software and application development. With business solutions, we offer a range of Oracle products such as the ERP, Oracle fusion cloud and cloud infrastructure services. Finally, we have shared services where we offer services in terms of finance and HR process automation.

Our digital products and enterprise solutions portfolio also includes solutions that can be offered to the SME sector, especially those that help improve business processes. Our solutions are affordable, developed to solve real-world problems and deliver decent ROIs. For any business, including SMEs, keen to invest in new technology but are hesitant because they believe tech costs are too high, ITX 360 is the answer.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been both a challenge and an opportunity for us and we look forward to some exciting times ahead. We are currently engaged with some of the partners in the South Asian region, especially our transport management system.