Dependo: Last mile and intracity logistics specialist

Technology is on a spree these days by yielding new life and vigor to various industries. It carries weight across modern as well as obsolete outfits. Logistics companies have benefited a lot from the transformation ushered by new-age technical knowledge. The industry has adapted to the need of the hour after following the monotonous and outdated working pattern that was becoming wheels within wheels. India, being a new hotbed for startups, has provided with a fertile ground for varied experiments pertaining to an entrepreneurial venture. This goes down well with the logistics industries too. Quite often, the man in the street ignores the pain points of his daily life. But this is where visionary startups prove their mettle by bringing their sharpness, intellect and acumen to work out the solution. Dependo logistics is one such company which has literally transformed the way this industry has been working for years.

The Bangalore-headquartered startup is a preferred service provider today for intra city logistics i.e. Last Mile delivery, the first mile pick up, reverse logistics, also distribution centre management and on-demand courier service. In a short span of 2 plus years, it has established its presence in 40 cities. At present, it is servicing some of the largest global and national eCommerce companies. It has successfully built a dedicated fleet of 1000+ bikers and 500 vans. Besides, it has a very robust built-in tech platform including mobility to deliver quality service. Dependo is a start-up within a larger entity – Quess Corp Ltd. All its team members are tuned to work in an entrepreneurial culture and environment.

The comfort of last mile logistics space
It happens once in a blue moon to witness a company having two years of experience delivering service to the extent of a seasoned player. Since its inception in 2016, Dependo has come a long way by becoming a company with a strong workforce of over 50 dedicated and devoted employees. Its employees have turned out to be one of the strongest pillars in leading the company to the pinnacle of success. After helping the company carve a niche in this domain, they are working to bring in world-class service delivery and customer experience in the last mile logistics space. The last mile logistics industry was dominated by regional players in the unorganized segment without exacting service standards and benchmarks. It is establishing a Pan India network that could prove fruitful to provide world class service.

All this was not possible without the obstructions. The company has sailed through many challenges so far and came with flying colors everytime. Availability of field associates with vehicles has been one of the major challenges for it. These resources are shared by logistics arm of E-commerce companies, Food delivery companies, Hyperlocal companies and the traditional logistics companies. But the barriers have made the company more robust and determined in its perseverance to become a market leader. The company comes up with innovative solutions whenever it gets stuck with any hindrance. It has a team of young and dynamic people with a never-say-never attitude. Brainstorming is a vital part of the company where it analyses the global trend in the logistics domain. It keeps a bird’s view on the major disruptors and their impact on the consumers.

Technology is the fuel
The key officials of the company keep track of the changing needs of customers and work out the needful. The company never stops investing in technology and people because they are the obelisk for the organization. Moreover, it has given impetus to its fleet and geographic reach because there is an adage attached to it which says “the bigger the better”. All this has been possible due to its relevant technical adaptability. Technology is helping it to deliver service quality, enhance productivity and efficiency and bring in real time transparency internally and to the customers.

Apart from technology, online commerce has been quite advantageous for it in its operations. Intracity logistics have benefited a great deal from online commerce and has helped the growth of this segment. Earlier intra city logistics had to contend with B2B and now B2C has added a new segment. Dependo is not willing to work with a single loophole. Taking this into consideration, the company is working on its backend technology on traditional applications. It is now focused on enhancing mobility applications and analytics. One major initiative is to go paperless on HRM from the employee on boarding, including background verification checks to payouts and incentives.

Awards & Recognitions
The company achieved a milestone of delivering 75,000 shipments per day within a very short span of time.
It was awarded as the ‘Best Service Provider’ – IntraCity Logistics at 3rd Logistics & Supply Chain Awards – 2017.
It got the Company of the year Award for Small Enterprises: Services category, 2018 by one famous business magazine.

Future Plans
The company is looking to start operations in 60 cities by the end of this financial year. It also wants to double its fleet size. It is also looking to enter related segments of logistics from the next financial year. As for this financial year, it is on course to double its turnover. This is just a tip of the iceberg in its huge gamut of a work plan.

Key Officials
Guruprasad Srinivasan- President, Dependo Logistics & Global Services
Guruprasad Srinivasan is the President – People and Services of the Company and has been associated with Quess, the parent company, since October 27, 2007. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Bangalore University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Karnataka State Open University. He has completed the Stanford Ignite certificate program from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He has over 18 years of experience in healthcare and services industry. He heads our People and Services business. Prior to joining our Company, he worked with Adecco Flexione Workforce Solutions Limited as GM – Payroll & Services.

Jolly Jose- Vice President, Dependo Logistics
Jolly has been associated with Quess since 2016 and heads the business unit at Dependo Logistics Solutions. He has been successfully scaling up the business nationally and leading large multi-location and multi-functional teams. Prior to joining Quess, he worked with Qwikcilver Solutions as the Director of Operations. With over two decades of experience, his professional journey also includes long stints in the Logistics Industry, including 2 leading Global players – DHL Express and TNT Global express where he was the National Sales Manager. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Haven, Connecticut.

There are many things to learn for burgeoning entrepreneurs from the eventful journey of the company. The company has been a keen observer of the ongoing events. Since the foundation of the company, it has observed one peculiar similarity among many erstwhile players in this domain. That pertains to the shutting down of a lot of big shop. When we get deeper into the reasons, it has been primarily due to the focus on getting the top line somehow without focusing on sustainability. Not only this, but the lack of delivering excellent service quality to customers has also its part to play. These are the key areas to focus.