Meet Mr Lalit Das, founder and CEO of 3SC

Ques 1: Kindly brief us about the company, its specialization, and the services it offers.

3SC, led by professionals all across the globe, is a supply chain tech organization that offers Supply Chain Analytics solutions to blue-chip clientele across Pharma/Healthcare, Industrials, FMCD, FMCG, and E-commerce industries. Our solutions are comprehensive, customized, and guarantee enhanced customer experience by reducing the cost and improving asset productivity as they are powered by advanced analytics. Our Analytics Delivery Centers (ADCs) are based-in Pune and Amsterdam that cater to the international market with over 100+ Data Scientists, Consultants, and Analysts.

Our demand forecasting tools enable the service of in-house modeling which helps in analyzing trends and predicting requirements by employing machine learning, stochastic planning, and Artificial Intelligence. 3SC Spend Analytics, enabled by Business Intelligence, provides data-driven insights to gain visibility and dive deep into spend data, track procurement performance metrics and supply base. It also offers actionable insights to identify opportunities for consolidation of spending and reduce procurement costs. Our business intelligence and data visualization analytics provide on-premise and software-as-a-service/cloud deployment options. The visualization tool enables users to analyze and visualize real-time data on their own and collaborate using online graphics to generate ideas and identify trends.

Ques 2. With what mission and objectives was the company set up? In short, tell us about your journey since the inception of the company?

We started as a bootstrap in Gurugram in 2012 with an aim to witness our presence on the world map in all growing markets such as ASIA, the USA, and Europe. Within the span of four to five years, we created a strong logistics network, established a control tower in Gurugram, ventured into Advanced Analytics, set up Analytics Delivery Centre, and also launched SaaS products. In 2018, we moved beyond the geographies of India and set up 3SC Analytics BV in the Netherlands. During the period of the initial period of the pandemic, we acquired nearly nine clients in nine months. Finally, this year we have established our center of excellence and earned Series-B funding by GEF Capital’s South Asia. At the outset, we hired people from the personal networks who believed in us and our idea because it’s, undoubtedly, not easy to get people on board without brand and funding. However, as we got business on board and started the journey with full commitment, things became a bit easier. Today we have a strong team of around 250+ professionals backed by PE.

Ques 3. How does data analytics help end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions?

Supply Chain is a bit complex business. Even one missing entity or the absence of synchronization implies losses in millions for an organization. This can also break the entire chain. Thus, solutions like data analytics play a significant role in this vertical as it resolves several complications in supply chain management at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Right from curtailing costs, managing demand volatility to making the process more visible for stakeholders, the infusion of data analytics has immense potential.

There are many ways analytics can improve supply chain efficiency to make it more viable and responsive. For instance, data validation and cleansing to correct anomalies; accurate demand forecasting based on-demand sensing machine learning algorithms; inventory optimization that helps to maintain service levels while minimizing cost; supplier selection based on factors like lead time, quality, cost et al; production planning based on the availability of equipment and raw material as well as the priority of production; network optimization; mobile reporting and real-time visibility. Advanced analytics is the need of the hour as logistics teams have become tricky over the years, and problems such as inconsistent suppliers, delayed shipment need a robust solution.

Ques 4. How have digital technologies benefited the supply during the pandemic?

I feel technological advancements were already enjoying the all-time high before the pandemic wreaked havoc all across the world. The onset of the crisis fueled its progress further and made people understand the necessity of technology in such unprecedented times. The power of AI (Artificial Intelligence), one of the most dominant members of the tech family, influenced several business operations in ways we can neither realize nor imagine. Its usage in supply chain planning also became evident during this period of the pandemic. Healthcare and logistics companies (including air, water, and road transport) had to ensure that all the lifesaving medical supplies had to reach their destination without any delay. AI and ML (Machine Learning) helped in identifying demand requirements, production planning, supply bottlenecks, and route optimizations. This further aided in creating plans for minimizing delays. Certainly, digital technologies have immensely helped supply chain management to cater to the increased demand during the pandemic. The supply chain and logistics industry, undoubtedly, has matured many folds using leveraging the potential of technologies like AI and ML.

Ques 5. How is Machine Learning (ML) shaping the IT/Big Data/Robotics industry today? How is it changing the role of CIOs and leaders?

In order to learn future trends and forecast them for businesses, ML algorithms use big data. A machine learning network improves analytical skills every day by constantly grasping new things on its own. ML is essentially automating predictive and prescriptive processes that were manual and semi-manual. Along with efficiency achieved due to automation, we are also able to include as many factors and data points as possible. Consequently, this leads to increased accuracy. And real-time visualization due to it helps CIOs and leaders make informed decisions based on as-is state and targets.

Ques 6. How has been your journey in the analytics industry and what are some of the analytic solutions that you have worked on?

My journey in the analytics industry has been quite fascinating. I have worked in both the software development and services sector. I have handled numerous projects and clients in my 16 years long career. I have a few notable observations about the industry throughout history. Analytical software programs have upgraded rapidly with newer algorithms. Benchmarks such as forecast accuracy are changing and the client desires near-real-time predictions and inferences. The advent of ML has replaced traditional methods even in SMEs and MSMEs and has made operations much more efficient. I have worked on demand forecasting, inventory optimization, supplier selection algorithms in the past.

Ques 7. What is the current market scenario? What are the trends that will drive the supply chain market in 2022?

The supply chain management and logistics industry is ever-evolving. Now, typical traditional approaches of utilizing on-premise software cannot keep pace with complex business operations. Thus, the current market scenario has led organizations to raise the bar on supply chain efficiency, agility, and resilience. This is to meet customer demands most cost-effectively. Helping the industry in this is various technological advancements and digital transformations. The trends that will, perhaps, drive the supply chain market next year are automation; Artificial Intelligence; cloud-based customized solutions; increased digitization and near real-time visibility; the Internet of Things (IoT); and a lot of focus on sustainability. 3SC has the vision to develop Carbonex, that’s a part of our sustainability excellence product suite.

Ques 8. What are your growth plans for the next 12 months?

Over the past five years, 3SC’s average annual growth rate has exceeded 35 to 40 percent. We have recently received a Series B funding round from GEF Capitals. Now, we aim to grow by 70% revenue by next year. We also plan to leverage existing software-as-a-service (SaaS) and analytics-as-a-service (AaaS) supply chain management solutions using both organic and inorganic routes.

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