Supply Chain
Technology Podcast

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

IoT sensors, full visibility, supply chain, customer solutions, innovation, temperature monitoring, shipment status, logistics, optimization, process excellence, pharmaceutical shipping, geolocation, enterprise logistics, R&D team, customer needs.

SPEAKERS

Amgad Abdelwaly, Scott Mears, Scott Hurley

Scott Hurley  00:09

Welcome to Supply Chain Tech Podcast with Roambee. In this episode, we speak with Amgad Abdelwaly, the Global Head of Customer Solutions and Innovation at Aramex, the largest courier company established in the Middle East. Amgad shares with us what it means to have full visibility using IoT sensors. In practical terms, some examples of the challenges that customers were facing prior to adopting this approach and how to successfully integrate IoT technologies into your business transformation strategy. Hi Amgad, can you tell us a bit about your background and the main drivers in your role as Global Head of Customer Solutions and Innovation at Aramex?

Amgad Abdelwaly  00:50

Hi, Scott. Thank you for this interview. So basically, about this role, let me give you a brief about my background. So I gained my bachelor’s degree in computer science back in 2005 and right after that, I started my career in the development and solutions, development, innovation. You know, the technology word is very attractive and moving developing. So I have been exposed to many, let’s say, solutions, innovative challenges and so on so forth. Two years back, after completing like, 15 years of experience in the technology and innovation domain, I decided to be a bit more specific, and join the supply chain. So I joined Aramex, utilizing my experience over there in the innovation and solutions part. So this was the main drive, taking new challenge work on the supply chain. I believe it’s the coming, let’s say future, and we have seen this very clearly, and the pandemic, so everything was stopped, but not the supply chain, not the logistics activities. So it’s it has a very high necessity and a need, and that’s why I’d love to be part of this. I mean, right now with Aramex.

Scott Hurley  02:23

Great. So I know that Aramex recently launched what you term as full visibility using sensor logistics in a recent media announcement, could you please expand on what full visibility using sensor logistics entails and how it may differ from what was previously available to you?

Amgad Abdelwaly  02:42

Perfect. So previously, what we used to do is to give the customers kind of updates or visibility manually through the customer service, calling the driver, calling the agents, and ask them, What is the status of the shipment? I mean in terms of delivery, not the status of the shipment itself, but with the new strategy now. I mean, Aramex is involved in high sophisticated industries and verticals which needs and requires to give higher visibility on the on the shipment status itself. So you need to know what is the temperature of the staff of the shipment. You need to know if the shipment is exposed to any shocks or tilts, especially when you move engines, when you move brake bulks. So this all should be captured, and we have found today with with the IoT devices, a solution for that, so the customers can can have a dashboard to monitor all the, let’s say, changes, or all the parameters within their shipments. So it’s not a matter of delivering the shipment from A to B. It’s more than that. The status of the shipment is something crucial for some of our customers, and hence we, we are using this technology for this and to be able to be one of those players, or few players, if you could say, to respond to the customer’s needs.

Scott Hurley  04:19

Great. So you’re saying, is customer driven these innovations? Is there anything in specific your customers were asking for around end to end visibility that you’ve been able to provide?

Amgad Abdelwaly  04:34

Okay, perfect. So if I would take this, it’s a very good question, because it’s not always the customer who’s asking for this. So we have two parts, the customers who will ask for the status of the shipments, and the problem statement won’t be the IoT or the visibility the customer’s problem statement will be. I need to make sure that my shipment is delivered safely. I. I mean, safely walk means, means too many things. So it could be out of not exposed to any shocks. Safe safely means maybe in a good or in the right temperature. And that’s how we think about it. So from from the customer side, this is the problem statement. It’s not always clear, because the customers are not exposed to the technology, are not exposed to the to the solutions. So we are the experts in this domain, and we should provide them with the solution. This is from the customer side, from our side as a company, we always think how to enhance our performance, how to optimize. I mean thinking of the optimization, of enhancing the performance. We think also how to capture different legs, I mean, in the journey. So what each part requires, so it doesn’t only monitor the parameters. It monitors also, when do we have, let’s say, issues or challenges, is that within a specific part in the way is it within a specific operation. So if it is in the customs, the van is open and then exposed, maybe to theft, exposed to temperature changing, then we need to know that we have a challenge at the customs. Yeah. So from our side, we need also to have such visibility in order to enhance our performance and optimize our service for our customers. So it’s a new demand, if we can call it from the customer side and from our side or operational side as well. So we always think of Process Excellence. It’s part of our daily job that’s wonderful here.

Scott Hurley  06:39

So let’s assume that I’m a customer of yours, say a pharmaceutical company shipping a package of medicines or vaccines my manufacturing plant in Chicago in the United States to my distributor in Abu Dhabi. Can you help me understand how sensor based visibility can improve my shipment experience? End to end?

Amgad Abdelwaly  07:00

Perfect question, Scott. So thinking of pharmaceutical companies and their demands, it goes without saying that the commodities needs temperature monitoring and needs temperature control movement so to assure that the commodities are not spoiled during the trip, and we’re maintaining the supply chain and the same conditions of the manufacturer, keeping the medicines under the right temperature. We can embed the devices, the IoT devices, from the moment we take over the shipment, or we do the picking till the moment we deliver it here to the to the to the end consumer, to the consignee, the last mile, so we can have a clear visibility on the temperature the moment we put the device within The shipment, immediately, it will transfer the condition, the place, the geolocation and the temperature once it moves to the airport. And even if we don’t have connectivity over the aircraft, we can still, or the device can still save this temperature in its memory so once the commodity or once the shipment is landed and the device is back connected to the internet, immediately it can transfer all the readings during the trip. So if anything went wrong during the trip, I can know that this happened. Yeah, I won’t take the medicine and use it and find, oh, it’s a spoiler for any reason. Now, I would know early on what happened in between. In some cases, the aircraft will be equipped with a Wi Fi that the devices can connect to, and accordingly, we can still have a visibility while the shipment is in transit. One of the advantages that the IT or Roambee devices can provide as well, is the integration with the with the airway, so it can tell me exactly what is the shipment at the moment. Is it in the departure phase? Is that in the arrival so it can tell me exactly, so it integrates with the control towers of the airways and let us know what’s going on. So all this can be transferred and transmitted to our clients to give them this visibility at the last mile. Things are really if we can call it comprehensive, because again, the last mile, what we care about is temperature geolocation, so you can give heads up for for the consignee that okay, you are going to receive your shipment in this amount of time and within this temperature range. So this makes the delivery even perfect. Makes the journey very smooth for the customer.

Scott Hurley  10:02

 So if you were to summarize in one sentence to any manufacturers that may be watching the podcast today, why they would pick Aramex for enterprise logistics and miss the backdrop of all the innovations you’ve touched on today, what would that be?

Amgad Abdelwaly  10:18

Okay? Perfect. So in our mix, we are not limited with with one or two solutions, and we are always looking after innovative solutions for our customers. We always look after their problem statements. We always optimize our operations capabilities and processes. So this is the idea why, why we can work with Dynamics. Today, we have in place an R&D team who works extensively with the with the suppliers, to onboard the best trends, to onboard the best technologies approach in order to serve our customers. So with this visibility, any specific our customers are, you know, free and I mean, peace minded that they’re making sure or know exactly when they will receive their items. What is the condition? Is it safe? Is it spoiled? They have everything. We have 360 understanding, if we can say for the condition of their shipments. So that’s why I really encourage the customers who are with us.

Scott Hurley  11:21

Thank you, Amged. Thank you for your insights today and for joining us. Have a good day.

Amgad Abdelwaly  11:26

Thank you.

Scott Mears  11:28

Hi, my name is Scott Mears, and I’m one of the hosts of the Supply Chain Tech Podcast with Roambee. On this podcast we talk to supply chain heroes from around the world about everything, ranging from the disruptions related to supply chains, their personal experiences with tracking technologies, strategies to build resilience, and much, much more. We already have some recommended videos for you to the side of me, and if any of this sounds interesting to you, do subscribe to our Youtube channel and hit the bell icon so you don’t miss another Roambee video. I’ll see you next time.