Shashi Gunathilaka, Chief Executive Officer of Oki-Doki, a digital-tech driven logistics company and subsidiary of the listed Expolanka Group, explains how making a difference and an empowering culture brings success to this mostly millennials-led company.

What makes Oki-Doki one of the Best Workplaces for Millennials in Sri Lanka?

I believe Oki-Doki is making a difference in an exciting way. Oki-Doki started operations in 2012 with six people and a fleet of 31 vehicles catering to Expolanka’s logistics needs. Today, our business portfolio touches 10,000+ direct and indirect dependents and we have over 1,800 third-party trucks – from 40-foot container carriers to small trucks – registered with us that deliver goods for leading companies in the apparel industry, FMCG, beverages, and more.

We also have many SME enterprises that use our trucks. We are an asset-light, digital technology-driven transportation company that has brought the sharing-economy model to logistics. We pioneered a cutting-edge digital Transport Management System that uses GPS, sensors, cameras, and other devices to plot optimal routes, give customers better visibility and control over consignments in transit, secure under strict quality compliance requirements.

Traditionally, a delivery truck returns empty 99% of the time after each delivery. We have reduced that to 33-35% with digital technology and advanced analytics. For our partner truck owners, it meant increasing their revenues by 30-40% for the same distance without additional spending on fuel, which is good for the environment.

We managed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent fuel shortages and provided uninterrupted services that kept the wheels of the economy turning. We ensured all the trucks had access to fuel. We provide concessions and assistance to truck owners to meet their insurance premiums and expenses on repairs and tire replacements amidst escalating costs due to the foreign currency crisis.

How do you build an enabling culture that resonates with millennials?

Oki-Doki is mostly a millennials-led company, so the culture is dynamic and open; it is a culture that encourages people to express their views, bring new ideas to the table, and take leadership in implementing those ideas. At Oki-Doki, we empower people to make decisions on their feet. We do not determine promotions solely on seniority or time served in a particular role or function. We promote people at the appropriate time. What we have done is we have made Oki-Doki everybody’s business. Everyone is an entrepreneur responsible for the company. Unit leaders run their teams like a separate P&L centre with goals aligned with the company. Our culture is why we continue to enjoy rapid growth.

We have a strong HR team focusing on every aspect of employee well-being, including setting clear career paths for all our people and giving them the tools to progress in their careers. We have leadership and professional training programmes and transparent performance review and rewards processes designed to align the company goals with employee expectations.

What do Millennials care about the most, and how is Oki-Doki addressing these?

Making a Difference: Millennials care about making a difference. And they expect the organizations they work for to care about that too. At Oki Doki, we are striving to make a difference by making transportation more efficient and sustainable, and we are giving our people the opportunity to become a part of the solutions. We introduce ourselves as a logistics company and a tech company. Technology is all about the people who can understand the needs of our customers, consumers, and our partner drivers to develop tech solutions that make a difference. We deploy digital technology to deliver customized island-wide solutions for brands of all sizes, from multinationals to mid-sized enterprises. Our solutions drive considerable cost benefits to brands that can also benefit end consumers. We gather a range of data from our digitally-connected trucks, enabling the in-house analytics team to design better solutions and routes for our clients, thereby significantly reducing carbon emissions.

Giving Back: Last year, we distributed tabs and gave internet access to children from low-income families, enabling them to participate in online classes and not disrupt their schooling. That is just one example of the CSR projects we have. Another is the Oki Doki Sathkara initiative to provide food and other essentials to low-income neighbourhoods. However, we believe that the very nature of our business gives back to the community because, with digital technology, Oki-Doki has opened the logistics industry to individuals from low-income groups who may have just one small truck. We give them a steady source of income, and many of them have gone on to build a small fleet, thus creating jobs for others. We also have 500 acres of land for a replanting programme because we are committed to the environment, and our staff take an active role in this.

Sustainability: Our employees understand that we are trying to make a difference. Transportation is one of the most polluting industries in the world, but it is also a critical component of any economy. We are investing considerable resources to optimize fuel consumption and eliminate waste while creating cost-efficiencies that could benefit brands and their customers. For example, our tracking technology maps out the most efficient routes, leading to substantial fuel savings that benefit the brands we serve, their customers, our partner drivers, and the environment. We continue to engage with our Japanese parent company for R&D around logistics technology, constantly exploring how we can further improve on reducing carbon emissions.