How DTDC Delivers Growth with an Online Tracking App

When DTDC's operations began to get unwieldy, Mrinal Chakraborty, the company's general manager for IT operations and process, started a technology initiative to bring better logistical control and help DTDC's customers track their consignments on their own. DTDC's project, called 'Centralization,' aimed to track every parcel throughout its journey from the hands of their customers to the doorstep of the recipient. Centralization sought to achieve this larger objective by, first, bringing all DTDC's offices and branches on a common network.

The criteria used for selecting the technology for the project ranged from reliability and security to ease of maintenance and compatibility with the existing applications. "We have used Linux and a Windows server. Linux was used because it had lower TCO and reduced dependence on software vendors. It was also easier to customize," says Chakraborty. It was a decision that came with it's share of problems. "In the corporate world, Linux is still in its nascent stage, which means that support and services are quite weak in India. One of the major problems we faced was a shortage of experienced engineers and a lack of ownership from the supplier. There was absolutely negligible online support, and customer care was very poor," recalls Chakraborty.

Project Centralization's data center serves their offices in India and abroad. DTDC has hosted the application with database, mail and antivirus servers, a backup solution, SMS- and Web-tracking systems, auto alerts and delivery information system, IP telephony, IP-based DVR etcetera. They also boast of a local scanner at their SMTP Gateway. The mail servers are made clustered for high availability, as e-mail is the lifeline of their communication. DTDC has indigenously developed an FTP product that transmits data nationally to the data center. All their processes have been automated at both remote and the centralized locations. They chose to develop the software in-house, rather than buy packaged software. "We understand our application (ERP) better and it is easier to manage scalability," says Chakraborty.

"Now, our customers can track the status of the delivery directly from our website or through SMS, which reduces calls to our customer care. Apart from this we have provided customer-specific tracking feature through the Web to create more awareness," says Chakraborty. DTDC's tracking system works by tapping its ERP, which captures all data relevant to the consignments moving on its network and then aggregates it on a central database. DTDC provides consignment tracking from this database to its internal and external customers.  "This centralized application has definitely played a pivotal role in achieving the same. It has given our customers confidence," says Chakraborty.

The Person Behind It

Mrinal Chakraborty

GM-IT operations and processes, DTDC

The centralized application has definitely played a pivotal role in our achievements. It has given confidence to our customers.