Issue 1 2018 Edelweiss Tokio Life leads product innovation in Indian Insurance Market Also inside... Inspiring the Inspired Greenbox Architecture Pick Your Future Uniware Travelling to Success TravelEdge Machine Learning, AI, the IoT and 1-Stop Connections Specialists Within the Industry Valenta BPO Solutions The first of a new generation of insurance companies, creating its Insurance solutions around a deep understanding of the diverse financial needs of the Indian consumer. Deepak Mittal, MD and CEO, talks us through the firm, which has been named as one of our 2017 Leading Business Awards. Ansiderac
2 APAC / Issue 1 2018 Editor’s Note , Welcome to the first edition of APAC Insider for 2018, bringing you the latest news and updates from across the Asia Pacific region. Diving straight into this month’s issue, we discover more about Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, who is the first of a new generation of insurance companies, that are creating its insurance solutions around a deep understanding of the diverse financial needs of the Indian consumer. Taking time out of his busy schedule, we speak to MD and CEO, Deepak Mittal talks us through the innovative firm. Also in this edition, a new report from Research and Markets, the world’s leading source for international market research projects and market data, which shows that centre standards are growing in popularity throughout APAC. Elsewhere in this issue, we learn more about Uniware, a specialist provider of the widest range of MultiValue Database solutions across Australia and New Zealand. The company delivers to their clients exceptional cloud and in premise MultiValue Database technology and ERP solutions. We profiled the firm and interviewed Craig Alford as we look to find out about the ambitious company. On the theme of innovative companies, we learn more about Valenta, which was established with an aim in mind to provide quality outsourcing/offshoring solutions to the Financial & Legal Services Industry. Chetan Kasim describes more about the offerings of the firm, and what services the firm offers. Lastly, one of Australia’s largest privately owned travel management company, TravelEdge offering a full suite of services that include corporate travel, in-house travel management solutions, academic services, events and groups. We sat down with the firm’s CEO, Kim Wethmar to find out more about the firm and explore the secrets behind its phenomenal success. Here at APAC Insider, we hope that you enjoy reading this month’s issue and we wish you all the best for 2018. Jessica Daykin, Editor Phone: +44 (0) 203 725 6842 Email: [email protected] Website: www.apacinsider.com AI Global Media, Ltd. (AI) takes reasonable measures to ensure the quality of the information on this web site. However, AI will not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any information that is available through this web site. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. The information available through the website and our partner publications is for your general information and use and is not intended to address any particular finance or investment requirements. In particular, the information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us or any of our partner publications and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making or refraining from making any investment or financial decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Any arrangement made between you and any third party named in the site is at your sole risk and responsibility.
APAC / Issue 1 2018 3 Contents , 4. News 7. Edelweiss Tokio Life leads product innovation in Indian Insurance Market Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance 10. Inspiring the Inspired Greenbox Architecture 12. Specialists Within the Industry Valenta BPO Solutions 14. Pick Your Future Uniware 16. Travelling to Success TravelEdge 18. Machine Learning, AI, the IoT and 1-Stop Connections 1-Stop Connections 20. Over 86 Billion Dollars of Telecom, Media and Tech M&A Deals in Asia in 2017, More Expected in 2018 22. Chinese Parenting Platform Babytree Expands Globally 24. Air China Set to Become International Passengers’ First Choice for Border Crossings 26. Chinese Bank Goes Global Proving Region’s Solid Financial Credentials As We Move into 2018 28. Elyptol Launches With Australia’s Largest Chemist 30. Providing Clients with Time-Sensitive, Seamless Service *
4 APAC / Issue 1 2018 NEWS , Data Center Standards are Gaining Popularity in the Asia-Pacific Region New report from Research and Markets, the world’s leading source for international market research reports and market data, shows that data center standards are growing in popularity throughout APAC.
APAC / Issue 1 2018 5 NEWS , LayerStack, an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, has announced an expansion in Japan with the launching of its fourth datacenter in Tokyo. The company, which offers multi-region data center selections with premium global network, has invested huge amount of resources in cloud infrastructure and platform for further cloud developments and enhancing customer experience. Its technologies have enabled great variety of business globally, from start-ups to multinational companies. Japan as a critical economic hub in APAC region, plays an important role to LayerStack strategical expansion with the additional cloud capabilities. This new data center is expected to widen the “Cloud Coverage” of Japan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, South Korea, Singapore and the U.S. (West Coast) which ensure users enjoying seamless cloud experiences. This also allows users to split critical workloads and data across preferred regions for achieving higher availability. LayerStack is an IaaS provider leveraging on hardware and networks to provide stable and high performance cloud solutions launched by Pacificnet Hosting Limited. The firm offers cloud solution from Hong Kong and Singapore Datacenters to SME, government, agencies, and major listed companies across Asia Pacific, Europe and the rest of the world. Over recent years LayerStack has been steadily increasing its investment in APAC regions including Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore to serve its growing base of customers. In the future, LayerStack’s data center footprint will continue to expand around the world. LayerStack Launches the Fourth Datacenter in Japan Development looks set to enhance the APAC cloud coverage and support users throughout the region. The Data Centers industry is more than 20 years old and over the years has become complex to operate. It has become quite challenging for data center operators to run their data center efficiently. The whole Asia Pacific is getting on the bandwagon of getting digitized and local governments have introduced many initiatives that would accelerate the digitization in their own country. The numbers of smartphones are increasing exponentially in the region and increasing numbers of people have accessed social media through different channels. The amount of data that is being produced and the amount that will get produced would be massive. The expectations of citizens towards government related agencies are increasing and public sector agencies need to launch more e-governance initiatives to keep their citizens happy. All these trends would put a lot of pressure on data centers, be it corporate data centers or public sector related data centers. The pressure on the public sector is more as the IT infrastructure they have right now is outdated as compared to the corporate side. To keep up with the pace, most of the governments in the Asia Pacific are in a race to modernize their IT infrastructure and also improve their efficiency. To achieve better efficiency most of the data centers around globe adopts some kind of standards to achieve better efficiency. Standards are basically set of guidelines that would help in running a product or service efficiently. There are many standards available in the markets that have been developed by the different international bodies. Expensive to adopt, long list of data center standards to choose from, lack of people with standards knowledge and lack of budget are some of the challenges associated with international standards. Lack of funds is the biggest challenge associated with government agencies when they are trying to adopt international standards. Fundamentally, the report finds that as it challenging to adopt international standards, the publishing team has developed functional standards for the public sector agencies to adopt in Asia Pacific. These standards have five levels of maturity and each agency choose the level of standards they would like to adopt as per their unique requirements. The functional standard has been divided into five major areas which are energy and power, design and construction, server and storage utilization, location and site and service level agreements. All these main elements have been sub divided into nineteen sub elements with five level of maturity. The functional standards would help public sector data centers to run efficiently. More information on the report can be found HERE.
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APAC / Issue 1 2018 7 , 1710AP05 Edelweiss Tokio Life leads product innovation in Indian Insurance Market Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance is the first of a new generation of insurance companies, creating its Insurance solutions around a deep understanding of the diverse financial needs of the Indian consumer. Deepak Mittal, MD and CEO, talks us through the firm, which has been named as one of our 2017 Leading Business Awards. Established in 2011, Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has been the latest entrant in the life insurance industry. However, in a short span of time, it has emerged as a serious competitor to other firms in the sector with its innovative and unique products. Deepak discusses its service offering in more detail and explores how the firm has worked hard to achieve the success it enjoys today. “At Edelweiss Tokio, everything that we do revolves around the value it brings to our customers. All our decisions, products and services are designed using the value stream map it brings to the end consumer. Any pursuit that we undertake is pure to augment value, proposition, services, and satisfaction to the customer. It is this defining philosophy, which enables us to create products, recognized in industry forums and practices. In addition to the accolade of being given the title of “Best Life Insurer” by Outlook money awards 2016. As one of the latest entrants in the insurance industry, the pursuit is continuous to question status quo, reduce the learning curve and achieve competitive and best in class services “As part of our client focused approach, we have always been looking for the unique propositions for our customers, and a recent example of that was the approval by IRDA to sell a point of sale life insurance product. We have been the first life insurer to get such an approval which allows a customer to buy insurance at an affordable premium over the counter in just a few minutes. The purpose of introducing such a product is to give access to life insurance to a more extensive section of the society, thereby increasing insurance penetration in India. With such products and several others, Edelweiss Tokio Life continues its practice of offering differentiated solutions to its customers.” Recently the firm’s focus has been on adapting around the digitalisation it sees in the market, as Deepak highlights. “Over recent years Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has almost doubled its network from around 10,400 agents in 2015 to 21,500 agents in 2017. This resource expansion has enabled us to service our customers in a better and more personalized manner. Insurance has been an underpenetrated sector, and there is a significant scope for growth. Hence, in spite of a large number of players in the industry, there is an ample scope for every player to co-exist and still gain big. The growing Indian economy along with increasing awareness for the insurance products as protection and investment plans will be the future growth drivers for the life insurance sector. With our unique and customer-focused product offerings, we believe that Edelweiss Tokio is well geared to make the most of the opportunity. “With the Digital India theme in focus, the online space is offering exciting opportunities and is growing at a much faster pace. Further, with the elimination of intermediaries in the online products, the customers are also beneficiaries regarding cheaper insurance. Our focus has been on providing a superior experience to our customers through our web interface, be it for acquiring a new business or servicing the existing customers. Digital India theme is, in fact, emerging to be a game changer especially for new-age players like us since it provides us with exposure to the much broader audience than before. We have been one of the fastest growing players in the industry and are fully geared to capture the opportunities in the times to come as well.” Although Deepak is the CEO and helps lead the company to the success it enjoys today, he is keen to emphasise the fact that his team is the driving force behind the exceptional market position Edelweiss Tokio as achieved in a relatively short time.
8 APAC / Issue 1 2018 “It gives a great pleasure when we see our work and vision getting appreciated in the fraternity. However, I believe this award is not just mine. I dedicate it to my whole team at Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance. My efforts may not have mattered but for the support of my team at Edelweiss Tokio. Our company has two simple goals – to offer customized insurance solutions to all our clients and to honor every commitment that we make would once again take an opportunity to thank my entire team to have bestowed their faith on me and my convictions. “When your work and ideas get their due recognition in the industry, they act as driving forces for you to bring more creativity and innovation into your products. As we continue to strive to meet varying needs of our customers, be it creating a product catering to both risk mitigation and investment needs or a pure wealth creation product, we have been on our toes to add value to our existing portfolio. With our efforts getting appreciated, we will continue to focus on reaching out to our customers through direct channels and continue to offer personalized product portfolio.” Moving forward, digitalisation will remain a key focus, as will the automation of the industry, as firms seek to reduce costs by using robots. Therefore, customer service will become less important, however, as Deepak concludes, client support remains a core focus for Edelweiss Tokio. “Fundamentally, at Edelweiss Tokio, the customer is never just a policy number. In the service industry, personalization is quickly becoming the buzzword. Intuitive understanding of your customers’ requirements, problem areas, and pre-emptive resolution is a must. “Instead of the customer reaching out to us, we would like to be a part of their natural interaction trajectory; it is our constant endeavour to enable self-help for our customers, to alleviate wait times and anxiety. We extensively invest in the Right People, Right process & the Right systems to ensure that the service teams have 360-degree customer view; this helps them make successful and intuitive interactions with the customer which are relevant and contextual. Every decision taken at Edelweiss Tokio centers around the philosophy of ‘Customer at the Board Room’, and this will remain our focus as we look towards a bright future.”
APAC / Issue 1 2018 9 Contact: Deepak Mittal Address: Edelweiss House, 14th Floor, Off C.S.T. Road, Kalina, Mumbai, 400098, India Phone: 00912240886305 Email: [email protected] Website: www.edelweisstokio.in Edelweiss Tokio Life leads product innovation in Indian Insurance Market g
10 APAC / Issue 1 2018 , Greenbox works across three main project categories: data centres, commercial office fitouts and residential projects. Typically, the consultancy’s clients range from leading global financial companies and real estate trusts, to small and medium scale residential developers. Its services cover the full range and duration of a project, from feasibility and due diligence reviews, through design, documentation and site attendance/contract supervision. The company also works as a strategic advisor and peer review architect. Andrew outlines the process that Greenbox undertakes when meeting its clients, and emphasises how important communication is to the company. “Working towards the future, we understand that not only do our projects run over a long period of time, sometimes several years; but that they are also frequently for repeat clients. For these reason, pairing of the right team is an early decision for us. Luckily, we have a great team of people to choose from. Also, we have a rigorous quality assurance in place which guides the process and procedures. “A key part of the design process is the internal design revision and “hold” points on a project, where not only the wider team but other Greenboxers review and critique the design to make sure it is meeting our standards, and that 1712AP10 Inspiring the Inspired Greenbox Architecture is an innovative Sydney based architecture and interior design practice. We invited Andrew Owens, the managing director of Greenbox, to tell us more about the creative consultancy and what the future holds for the team. of the client. Most importantly, we value communication and do not only rely on digital communication. Also, we meet our clients and the project team face to face. Aside from Greenbox’s communication expertise and desire to do what is best for the client, there are many other factors which differentiate Greenbox from its competitors. Andrew again talks about communication and the personal relationships that Greenbox develops with its clients. “As a whole, we have made a conscious decision to deliver good design, rather than grow too big too fast and lose touch with our clients. The directors really are involved in all the projects, and we have a great group of senior associates, associates and project leaders, all of whom reinforce the culture of being part of the process. “Ultimately, we are a business and need to be profitable. However, we are also architects and designers, and we want to design - it is our passion. We developed a process to manage the deliverable and quality, and to give all of us the time to engage with the project in a meaningful way.” Having touched on the personal nature of working with Greenbox, Andrew further discusses the challenges the company has overcome in order to become the success it is today, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. “Architect and designer were traditionally seen as the lead consultant in a team. Over the past 20 years, this relationship has since eroded and the construction industry has seen project managers stake their claim. This has led us, as a profession, to guarantee that we have our voice heard and are not side-lined. A common criticism of architects is that they are only being creative and do not understand the business side of construction. This misconception, in contrary to what we have to offer, is something we have overcome by insisting on doing what we know is right, actively getting involved in the discussions and tirelessly seeking feedbacks from our clients. Successful designs drive successful businesses.” Providing us with a brief overview of the industry within the APAC region, Andrew details the outside influences affecting the region, as well as the benefits for being based in Australia. Currently, there is a growing demand for architects and interior designers within the region, and it is increasingly important to be unique and stand out amongst the industry. “Architecture and interior design in both Australia and Asia Pacific are experiencing strong growth and demand. These days, projects are delivered in a number of ways: the traditional projects delivery, where architects and designers are teamed with specific engineers based on the project requirements. The projects lead
APAC / Issue 1 2018 11 Contact: Andrew Owens Contact Email: [email protected] Address: Level 3, 40 King St, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia Inspiring the Inspired g by multi-disciplinary engineering practices or project managers; and most notably, projects delivered using design and build contract. “Each delivery method has its good and bad points however, the biggest and most impactful one has been the rise of procurement departments. Treating the procurement of design and engineering services as though it is a consumable, like photocopy paper, removes the strong and beneficial link between client and professional. Successful projects are about getting the right team together at the earliest point of time, and not about choosing the team based on cost. This is where some projects are heading.” Delivering excellent projects is the ethos of Greenbox, and it is not possible without a happy and strong working environment, with the team working innovatively and collaboratively to provide the best possible service to clients. “Greenbox have a very inclusive culture, which is driven, amongst many other aspects, by the diverse cultural backgrounds of the employees. Within the company of more than 20 people, the current mix is that 70% of them were born outside Australia. This has not been a deliberate action, rather we put an emphasis on people’s skills, personality and what they can bring to the team. The diversity has sprung creativity, knowledge and respect within our practice and outside of it. “Additionally, the team spend a lot of time making sure that we have a kind group, and this is via many means. However, recently we have developed a giving back program where we, as an office, all dedicate two days a year to work with a charity or not for profit company. One of the days is done as the entire office and we all get out and do something meaningful.” Further improving the internal culture and services, Andrew ensures that staff have access to all the necessary technology they need to guarantee client satisfaction. “Whist that is great for the staff culture and morale, making sure we can give all staff the technology to do their work flexibly is a strong decision we have made. Technology is not to make them always contactable and working 24 hours a day, it is to allow them to get the work done and not be tied to the office.” Regarding the architecture and interior design industry, Andrew predicts that computers and technology will have a more dominant role to play He is particularly keen to talk about the 3D aspect of design. “Whilst we use computers more and more, I think over time we will not only see some of the functions of drawing being done somewhat automatically, but 3D will be different to what we now understand. We design in 3D, we now document in 3D and soon we will see that the conveying of information to the builder will also be 3D. Interactive 3D models will be issued to the builders and consultants, allowing them to use VR and AR to fully understand the design.” Overall, the creative team at Greenbox Architecture is always looking at what is ahead for the company, keen to stay ahead of any developments and factors which may have an impact to the market. “Going forward, I always look ahead to what is next. I love being able to work with a great team, and for interesting and passionate clients, I will continue to look out for both of these. “All of the team work towards the same mission of doing a great job, having fun, and being creative and adding value. Firms like Greenbox are all about the people. Getting this right is the key to our success.”
12 APAC / Issue 1 2018 , Founded in 2014, Valenta work with Financial Advisers, Mortgage Brokers, Accountants and Lawyers in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK and the US. With service delivery centres in India and Malaysia, we provide cost effective yet efficient solutions through our highly skilled staff. Chetan explains what differentiates the firm from its competitors, marking itself out as the best possible option. “Here at Valenta, we reinvest in to new verticals. For example, when we first started our operations back in 2014, we were only a Paraplanning service provider. Today, we offer Loan Processing, Accounting, Paralegal, Technology Consulting and Financial Crime Solutions. Each one of these verticals is literally like starting a new business from scratch. We invest a lot in training and development. If we need to send our staff to a client’s office in the UK, US or Australia, we don’t think twice. If it’s needed, it is needed, When we start a new vertical, we train staff and build processes. So, when our clients start with us, they don’t have to worry about staff training. This is a key differentiator, as there are outsourcing companies 1712AP07 Specialists Within the Industry Valenta was established with an aim to provide quality outsourcing/offshoring solutions to the Financial & Legal Services Industry. Chetan Kasim describes more about the offerings of the firm, and what services the firm offers. that just act as recruitment firms, wherein they provide the staff and the client has to train and manage the staff. At Valenta, each staff has a reporting manager who we allocate and the reporting managers liaise with the client for on-boarding, regular on-going reviews, process improvement suggestions which eventually leads to exceptional customer service and client engagement. Our focus has not been on getting funded by VC’s and Angels and thinking of exit strategies. Our focus has solely been on how we can add further value to our clients.” Working within the competitive financial and legal industries, Chetan explains what techniques the firm employs in order to stay ahead of emerging developments, which are arising almost every day. He talks about investing in technology with regard to finance and customer service, ensuring the very highest standards are met. “Currently, we are investing in several technology solutions. We are launching Nuclear CRM for Financial Advisers, Mortgage Brokers, Accountants and Lawyers in Feb 2018. This is going to be a game changer for our clients as Nuclear is not just a CRM but a Practice Management Software which will put our client in a whole new level as it will give them complete control of their business through several integrations that are required to operate in todays competitive markets. The software is also not just restricted to any one market and therefore is a global solution and clients with operations in multiple countries can also benefit from it. We are simultaneously working on AI Chatbots and RPA Solutions that could add a lot of value to our client’s businesses. You need to keep inventing and evolving. That’s really the key. With the rise of Fintech, AI and RPA, it is important to understand what each of these solutions can really do and how they can add value. It is not just about replacing a human with a bot, but going deeper to see how they both can coexist.” Part of its new technology regime is the firm’s customer service ability, and how every measure is taken to try and match the customer demands. The firm conducts webinars regularly where it discusses how businesses benefit from outsourcing and how technology solutions should be implemented. As the firm works in multiple geographies, it is able to pass on it’s learnings to it’s clients. “Before we take on new clients and projects, our senior management team works very closely with the client to understand their requirements in detail. We provide our clients with case studies, so they get a better idea on how the process could work and how similar businesses have benefited from using our services.” Demonstrating a good understanding of what it takes to be successful, Chetan tells us what challenges Valenta has had to overcome in order to be successful in the Asia-Pacific region. He talks about keeping staff motivated in the highly skilled business, and gaining certifications has led to the company being able to showcase its many talents. “Like any new business, there are always hurdles to overcome. In our case, when we first started our Paraplanning service offering, clients were used to Outsourcing within Australia however not Overseas. They were always concerns with IT Infrastructure, Data Protection, Staff Qualifications and Time Zone differences. We knew the best way to overcome most of these hurdles would be to get ISO Certified and we started that process literally in our 10th
APAC / Issue 1 2018 13 Contact: Chetan Kasim Contact Email: [email protected] Address: Level 34, 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane 4000, Australia Phone: +61 1300 193 178 Mobile: +91 90366 57007 Website: www.valentabpo.com Specialists Within the Industry g month of operations and post the ISO 9001 & 27001 Certification, we had a lot of systems and processes in place. We became the world’s first ISO 9001 certified in Quality Management Systems in Paraplanning. “Essentially, our services are not the typical business processes. They are more of knowledge processes and hence it takes a lot of time to train and develop the staff and you got to keep them motivated at all times. The best way to do that is by growing so everyone gets an equal opportunity to grow. They have something to look forward too so if you can offer your staff job satisfaction and a good work environment, you can be rest assured that they will continue to deliver and go that extra mile.” However, the success does not stop here for Valenta, and Chetan gives us a glimpse into the future as he predicts what developments will arise within the financial and legal sectors which Valenta will have to adapt to. Again, technology is a key aspect of the company’s achievements, both in the present and the future, and the firm is already well placed to adapt to these advances. “Moving forward, technology solutions are going to change the way the Financial Services Outsourcing industry Works. You hear about layoffs at all the big banks and financial institutions across the globe as they are all trying to implement various AI and RPA solutions that are more cost effective and more efficient. Some of these Solutions will impact us directly however not for the next 5-7 years. AI and RPA are still at a very nascent stage. For example, Robo Advisory platforms are coming up every other day, but they are nowhere close to replacing a Human Financial Adviser and hence the need for Paraplanning will continue. Robo Advice is a great lead generation tool that Advisors can use to engage more with their clients so in a way, they can coexist at least until such a time that through the natural learning process, RPA tools are finally able to think and perform like advisers. The question is, how comfortable are people going to be with bots handling their finances? “Keeping the above in view, we are developing several technology solutions that will help our clients work more efficiently. The more the E-Commerce and online space grows, the more the risk of Money Laundering, Fraudulent transactions, terrorism financing etc rise and hence through our comprehensive Financial Crime Services, we will continue to add value to our existing and new clients.” In his concluding comments, Chetan signs off by explaining Valenta’s overall mission and where he envisions the company being in the future. Being a part of their client’s growth will be one of the most rewarding aspects going forward for the company. “With regard to the future, we want to be the best financial and legal service provider for Small and Medium businesses globally. The best way to do that is by constantly evolving. You may not get everything right in the first go. You need to be patient and be able to sustain in order to achieve results. We want to be a partner in our client’s growth and not just a service provider or a vendor.”
14 APAC / Issue 1 2018 , Founded in 1979, Uniware was established as a software development company specialising in the PICK/MultiValue development environment, and it continues to work with MultiValue databases. Over the ensuing years, the firm has developed its own software, notably; ClearConnect (e-Commerce software API for MultiValue systems) and AusVantage ERP (Enterprise resource planning software), a fully integrated supply chain and accounting solution for Small to Medium size enterprises which is Uniware’s Flagship product. Craig starts off by explaining the firm’s overall mission, detailing how staff at the company work hard to partner and work with industry leaders, meaning more solutions are available to pick and choose from for clients. “Throughout the company, we want to provide exceptional IT products and services with unrivalled customer service. We do this by partnering with industry leaders to provide our clients with freedom of choice, a complete IT product and service offering, through our highly experienced employees.” As a specialist provider of cloud based MultiValue databases, Uniware recently announced a new relationship with American company Zumasys Inc. Zumasys have a history of taking mission critical applications of all types 1801AP02 Pick Your Future Uniware is a specialist provider of the widest range of MultiValue Database solutions in Australia and New Zealand. The firm delivers exceptional cloud and in premise MultiValue Database technology and ERP solutions. We profiled the firm and interviewed Craig Alford as we look to find out about the ambitious company. (SQL, Oracle, Pick, Progress and more) and layering on world class infrastructure, cloud and mobile to move these applications forward. With deep roots in the PICK/MultiValue industry, Zumasys has made a series of strategic decisions, investments and acquisitions to strengthen the value that they bring to Pick/ MultiValue customers. Craig tells us the reasons behind the firm’s partnership with Zumasys. “Zumasys and Uniware are completely aligned when it comes to the future of MultiValue. To provide the Australian and New Zealand market with MultiValue Database choice, and lead the industry with comprehensive marketing, information and education for those clients who currently use or are looking to use these products in their line of business.” Uniware are early providers of Cloud services hosting MultiValue Database Applications in the Uniware Cloud, ensuring its customers’ mission critical business applications are secure and giving the client’s piece of mind and robust performance. Presently, Uniware now offers Australia’s most extensive range of MultiValue Databases and services in Australia and New Zealand to choose from, including; jBASE, OpenQM, UniVerse, UniData and D3. A leader within the technological industry, the team’s deep knowledge and broad service offering is unparalleled. Regarding MultiValue itself, MultiValue is a Database application development environment providing a secure and efficient platform for the development of modern business applications using the latest in programming and coding technics available today, for example Python and Web services. MultiValue is a type of forms based NoSQL database which requires a very small and inexpensive footprint to deliver complex business applications that encompass complex business rules, analytics and cognitive computing requirements. Moreover, MultiValue database technology is used extensively in industries such as; Banking, Finance, Manufacturing, Distribution, Local Government and Health Care. In fact, a day will not go by where you have not interacted somewhere with a MultiValue application. Many of the world’s largest organisations use MultiValue technology for their core business applications. Adaptable and versatile, not only does the firm offer its clients a range of databases, it also offers ongoing support and development. There are hundreds of organisations with aging databases and resource shortages who are looking for modern features, and user interfaces to protect and modernise the many man years of investment in ageing intellectual property. Uniware is available to assist clients on a 24/7 basis to ensure that their business is running at its optimal performance. Within the APAC region, the technology industry is growing rapidly, and Craig divulges into further detail about the MultiValue database sector in particular, noting how much it has grown within Australia and New Zealand. “Over many years of being heavily involved within the MultiValue database industry, we have observed the need for increased opportunities within this market; leading to greater understanding of an increased participation of MultiValue within Australia and New Zealand.” “Uniware are now able to offer the freedom of choice for our customer’s appropriate circumstances and look forward to growing the MultiValue market in the region via our various vendor relationships and increased marketing activity.” Marking the company out as the best possible option for clients, Craig is keen to point out how Uniware differentiates itself from its competitors. He talks about being a focused customer service organisation with deep MultiValue knowledge, driving its partners business performance through innovation and reliability. Referring to the company’s experience in the industry, Craig mentions that the variety of solutions that the firm offers is something which really sets them apart from competitors.
APAC / Issue 1 2018 15 Contact: Craig Alford Contact Email: [email protected] Address: 19 Walkers Road, Nunawading, VIC, 3131, Australia Phone: 61 3 88040804 Website: www.uniware.com.au Pick Your Future g “Operating with a multi-talented team, we have been a major player in the industry for 35+ years and provide more value than most competitors. Placing the client first is a key quality that all staff possess, as our customer service is a second to none, with us offering 24/7 customer service for a small annual fee.” “Additionally, the team at Uniware offer the widest range of MultiValue databases in the Australian and NZ market, and we have a large range of IT products and services including; ERP software, E-commerce software, five databases, web development and design and cloud hosting in the Uniware Cloud. Lastly, Uniware has a team of experienced developers and administrators who have a combined 150+ years of MultiValue/NoSQL and database development, maintenance and support.” Finally, Craig signs off by explaining what the MultiValue Database industry can expect in the future from Uniware. The team is clearly excited about the future, with Uniware looking to provide the best possible services to its current, new and potential projects and partners. “Moving forward, we are currently formalising our marketing plans and strategy with Zumasys for the region, which shall include National Events and Conferences, Print and Online IT Advertisement. Other events and strategies will include seminars, technology road shows and webinars, as well as code snippets, working examples, partner case studies and MultiValue educational collateral. Furthermore, there will be newsletters which we are working on, along with conducting surveys.” “Ultimately, we look forward to the future and what it holds for the MultiValue Database industry, as well as working with our current, new and potential vendors and clients.”
16 APAC / Issue 1 2018 , 1711AP08 Travelling to Success TravelEdge is Australia’s largest privately owned travel management company, offering a full suite of services that covers corporate travel, in-house travel management solutions, academic services, events and groups, holiday and leisure services and travel prizing and incentives. We caught up with TravelEdge CEO, Kim Wethmar to find out more about the firm and explore the secrets behind its phenomenal success. Since 2000, TravelEdge has been a comprehensive travel partner, assisting businesses with high-calibre solutions that take them to where they need to go. Former Qantas senior executives, Founders Sue Hollis and Grant Wilson saw the potential of a corporate travel management company with a strong service focus and the technology and buying power of a multinational. In 2015, under the leadership of CEO Kim Wethmar, the firm created its refreshingly innovative approach. As such, the firm is committed to continuous improvement and innovation in all areas of the business, and clients continually gain from its focus and initiatives. “Globally, TravelEdge is unique in the market because for us, our role is all about collaborating, sharing ideas, best practices and, above all, providing underlying benefits to our clients. Through our Radius Travel model, one which partners with over 70 markets worldwide and 121 best-in-market agencies, we provide a deliberate difference in the global travel industry and one which allows us to provide fully consolidated, customised and united travel management offerings with total compliance across all locations. This ultimately allows us to embrace the local differences all whilst maintaining global continuity. “Fundamentally, our vision is to make every journey an exceptional experience. Combining consummate service with pioneering technology for the local Australian market, and the buying power of a multinational makes us a genuinely unique service provider.” It is this collaborative focus that sets the firm apart from its competitors in this highly populated market. “What differentiates TravelEdge from its competitors are the embedded partnerships we have with our technology partners and suppliers. We value and cherish these relationships, actively seeking collaborations and investment opportunities to develop solutions for our clients’ needs and requirements. “An example of this partnership and its value, was reflected in a recent case where we were able to save one of our largest corporate client’s significant time in manual processing of travel invoices and minimise lost receipts. Our client had originally approached their TravelEdge Account Manager and expressed a concern regarding lost travel invoices. The Account Manager worked with our in-house development team and the client’s expense system company to build a link from our mid-office system, straight into the client’s expense system ready for a traveller to process their reconciliation against the charge. The end result being extensive cost savings for our client.” People are also a fundamental differentiator within this unique business; they are the fundamental assets and driving force of the company. TravelEdge is a highly-diversified organisation with people from all parts of society, and works hard to ensure that it offers equal opportunities for everyone, as Kim explains. “At TravelEdge, we are proud of our culture that is built on teamwork and collaboration. We have a very strong emphasis on ‘people’ and as a core business pillar, providing employees with the freedom to express, experiment and grow. This had led to personal growth and achievement of meaningful high-quality outcomes for customers. The core behaviours and competencies that contribute to forming, leading and managing teams, and teamwork is measured, reported and rewarded. We actively work with the leadership team in setting people related goals, invest in coaching and mentoring programs and training initiatives, with the intent of supporting the behavioural and technical capabilities of our people. “Being a predominate female based industry, TravelEdge employs 70% females and an active promotor of gender diversity, with the goal of further increasing cultural and gender diversity. We initiated a graduate internship program with interns from various cultural background that has resulted in increased cultural awareness, and improved outcome for the business, while enabling the interns to further develop professionally leading to more effective assimilation in Australian workplace. The success of this program has led to the adoption of diversity programs by Finance, Marketing and Customer Support”. Ultimately, innovation is at the heart of TravelEdge’s success, and will remain the firm’s ongoing focus as it looks towards a bright future, as Kim is proud to conclude. “Over the past few years, TravelEdge has seen the travel industry develop from purchasing fixed to custom built solutions based on client’s needs to integrate with existing internal
APAC / Issue 1 2018 17 Address: Level 7, 175 Liverpool Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia Phone: 0061 2 9080 1700 Email: [email protected] Website: www.traveledge.com.au Travelling to Success g systems and ability to provide consolidated reporting data. The leading technology companies are also partnering directly with supplier aggregators as part of the integrated process and to capture missed opportunity spend. By the end of 2016, TravelEdge completed a transformation program for both internal and client facing technology solutions, with one of the key objectives being to create a platform that is agile for suppliers and partners to connect into. “Drawing on this experience, we constantly work to adapt and develop, to ensure our continued success. The innovation initiatives provided a significant and positive impact on structure, operations and the culture of the business. By introducing innovative automation tools that replaced manual operations, the focus has shifted more to understanding deep customer needs. Accordingly, KPI’s were changed from operational focused to customer and innovation centric. Consultants became their customers advocates and commenced having more conversations about other valueadded services. The initiatives also allowed for a shift in core mindset, where innovation and technology was viewed as the fundamental focus for all operations, and one which would need to be constantly restructured to cater for an ever-changing corporate travel environment.”
18 APAC / Issue 1 2018 , 1706AP06 Machine Learning, AI, the IoT and 1-Stop Connections Established in 2003, today 1-Stop is a globally recognised leader in innovating and delivering integrated solutions to increase productivity for the Port Community. James Skurray, the firm’s General Manager for IT & Products, provides us with a fascinating insight into the latest trends in machine learning and how IoT developments will drive continued innovation. Forecasting is an integral part of supply chain logistics. The predictions start when a vessel leaves Port A for Port B. Will it arrive on a certain date? At what time? How long will it take to pass customs? When should the trucks be booked for pick up? Each question is affected by a decision made earlier in the supply chain. Each decision is based on data about the individual links in the chain. In the past, industry veterans carried this data in their heads, making predictions on the fly. Today, that’s just not possible. The ships are bigger and more frequent, the cargo exponentially increased. There are too many terminals to remember the quirks of each one, the variations that can lead to delays. There is just too much data to process. From the IoT to AI via ML The Internet of Things (IoT) is responsible for this amazing amount of data. It has tagged and networked everything possible, from container weights and dispatch dates to vessel speed and weather conditions – all in real time. This raw data is then cleaned up and processed, which is where machine learning and artificial intelligence come in. Machine learning (ML) is the engine room of Artificial Intelligence – it’s where the data gathering and analysis happens that leads to the non-human decision-making we call AI. It recognises patterns in the logistics chain that humans would not. An AI platform can predict that a container leaving a port six weeks from now is 65% more likely to go missing than normal. An alternative route can be found and recommended within minutes. Machine learning is all around us ML is at work right now on your email account. For example, the focused inbox option in Outlook Mail is powered by machine learning. It learns through explicit and implicit actions. So moving an email to the Focused Inbox is explicit, while replying to lots of emails from one person implies that person is important. ML uses data from previous decisions to make predictions about future decisions. The same techniques can be used in the port community, which is why Adam Compain founded ClearMetal, a predictive logistics company that uses AI to unlock supply chain efficiency. He describes predictive logistics as “using sophisticated technology to solve the most complex operational problems in shipping and logistics”. The aim is to help the links in the supply chain – brokers, truck companies, terminals – overcome the overwhelming complexity of the system. “There’s a lot of uncertainty around customer behaviour, cancellations, and stuff like that,” Compain told tech blogger Nathaniel Mott. “There’s also a lot of uncertainty around the market: Will commodity prices change? Will there be broader changes in cost?” Predictive risk and simulation models One of ClearMetal’s tools is Predictive Risk calculation. This helps freight operators understand the likelihood of a shipment moving from “On Time” to “Late” by using simulations. Hundreds of simulation models are generated per shipment to provide the probability of a status change. Once the data is fed in to the platform, the result might be: “87% of 130 simulations predict this shipment will arrive late”. ClearMetal lists four elements needed for this prediction of global logistics in real time: 1. Understand the data: Robust data ingestion capabilities are needed to collate and cleanly structure data from multiple sources. 2. AI/ML: ML offers a fundamentally different approach to interpreting data, recognising complex patterns between parties and events, and generating accurate predictions. 3. Simulation: An engine for running what-if scenarios and analysing all events and outcomes is essential. ML, alone, is often insufficient. 4. Industry expertise: A set of industry-tailored solutions are needed to empower ocean carriers, freight forwarders, terminal operators and shippers to get the predictions they need to make optimal business decisions.
APAC / Issue 1 2018 19 Company: 1-Stop Connections Contact: James Skurray Address: 376 Bay St, Brighton-Le-Sands, NSW, 2216, Australia Phone:0061 2 9588 8934 Website: www.1-stop.biz Machine Learning, AI, the IoT and 1-Stop Connections g Machine learning goes global Every port that relies on international trade is investing in ML. A Californian analytics software company, Maana, is working to mathematically model the process that goes into rerouting a vessel in the event of a port closure or natural disaster. Using traditional methods, it could take eight hours to evaluate the potential of an alternative port. With AI, it can be done in minutes. Hong Kong freight logistics service CargoSmart accesses a database of every route offered by the world’s 30 biggest carriers. It also has five years’ worth of automatic identification system (AIS) vessel movement data. The system can predict at any moment if a vessel is likely to arrive on schedule. In conclusion, the common problems faced by the port community are lack of transparent information flow, under-utilisation of equipment, and inefficient practices. With new ML and AI platforms and a smart Vehicle Booking System (VBS) it is possible to alleviate these issues in the port community and smoothly connect terminal and landside operations. Ultimately, 1-Stop Connections should be the first port of call for any operator looking to bring the latest predictive technology into the supply chain for improved efficiency and dependable delivery.
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