Locus, a global B2B SaaS company, has announced the launching of a free tool ‘QuickStart,’ which is a self-serve lite version of the product suite for startups and small and medium enterprises to improve their supply chain efficiency amid COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the company release, startups and SMEs are in a precarious situation now more than ever. And, companies are struggling to manage volatile demand, fleet and resource efficiency, and rising costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Locus has always worked towards automating human decisions in the supply chain, and with QuickStart, the company is aiming to provide its customers with tools to improve and analyse the situation.
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The company believes that logistics planning is not a task that can be optimised manually due to a lot of real-world constraints, and the current pandemic adds to the complexity. However, with Locus’ state-of-the-art artificial intelligence platform, companies can automate their decision making while taking into account the on-ground reality.
The company is also providing a free trial for two months from the start of the subscription, which will help companies to improve their supply chain amid this pandemic. Companies can now focus on execution and ensure a good customer experience.
Nishith Rastogi, CEO and Co-founder of Locus, said, “Supply chain management is an old problem. It has only become more dynamic and complex with time. While changing on-ground scenarios and pandemics like COVID-19, may impact your operations, Locus QuickStart can provide you with tools to improve and analyse the situation. We wanted to reach out to startups and SMEs at this time to support them with relevant tools. This offering will continue even after the situation on the ground eases up.”
“It is a non-integrated offering to improve the existing processes and enable SMEs and startups to automate their supply chain decision-making to bring efficiency, transparency, and consistency in operations,” added Rastogi.
The company further stated that the free trial gives access to limited features of Locus Dispatcher and Locus MotionTrack, the route optimisation solution, and fleet tracking insights and analytics solution, respectively. One can also access the Locus On The Road (LOTR) mobile application, which provides real-time tracking through Locus MotionTrack.
The release further stated some of the default features of Locus QuickStart are — distance and time-based optimisation, fleet optimisation, state-of-the-art geocoding, machine learning-powered algorithms for optimisation, collection of electronic proof of delivery, predictive alerts, planned vs executed view, and planning and execution insights.
“We wanted to share our expertise and support with startups and SMEs, thereby bringing supply chains to the forefront of every business. Locus QuickStart will come with a dedicated two-hour customer support service to get you up and running,” added Rastogi.
Locus works with enterprises across varied industries, including e-commerce, 3PL, home services, retail, as well as FMCG. Apart from India operation, the company also works across North America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa.
Locus has raised $29 million till date from marquee investors like Tiger Global, Falcon Edge Capital, Blume Ventures, Exfinity Venture Partners, Rocketship.VC, Recruit Strategic Partners, DSP Group, pi Ventures, BeeNext, and growX ventures.
