How Vodacom is driving success in Transport and Logistics

Managing the ever evolving and diverse IT requirements of Transport and Logistics organisations can be challenging, considering they often have thousands of employees working across multiple geographies and subsidiary organisations, typically having to deal with multiple in-country vendors and suppliers.

Leveraging technology to drive increased visibility across organisational supply chains is key to improving the customer experience.

“Our customers are looking for a partner that is able to manage their entire technology stack and support them on their digital transformation journey by continually investing in innovative technologies that supports their organisational goals,” explains Vanessa Schonborn, Executive Head of Transport and Logistics at Vodacom Business. “We understand the unique challenges within the transport and logistics sector. Therefore, we’re best placed to deliver tailored offerings that simplify and consolidate IT processes on world class digital platforms, making operations more efficient and less complex.”

In October, we celebrate government’s 17th annual Transport Month, established to highlight how the sector contributes to South Africa’s economic growth. Working closely with hundreds of organisations in transport and logistics, Vodacom Business believes the key to driving success lies in embracing and accelerating digital transformation for a competitive edge and greater operating efficiency.

Supporting an IT transformation journey

A case study of success on the digital transformation front, one of South Africa’s largest multinational groups in the transport and logistics sectors turned to Vodacom Business in 2009 to begin their digital transformation journey. "Initially, the solutions Vodacom provided to this client included IT infrastructure in our accredited datacentre estate, and high-capacity connectivity, superior security, and a centralised point of contact across their locations,” explains Schonborn. Importantly, Vodacom Business delivered network stability and excellent service levels to ensure business continuity and increase opportunities for further IT transformation.

Clients like this who partner with Vodacom Business realise cost savings thanks to the greater efficiencies that the scalable solutions deliver. It gives transport and logistics service provider’s greater visibility of and insight into their operations within a centralised IT environment, enabling them to dedicate resources to their core business rather than investing in IT as a capital expense.

From IT services provider to technology partner
As organisations in this sector continue to grow, develop, and digitise, Vodacom Business has kept pace with their modernisation demands through its own evolvement into an innovative technology solutions provider. “More recent IT solutions adopted by many of our customers include cloud back-up, storage and security, dedicated hosting for SAP HANA including Basis services, and high-speed SD-WAN network offering robust, always-on connectivity for our customers,” notes Schonborn.

“For over a decade, Vodacom has provided more than just IT and communications services to our clients; we’ve become their trusted strategic business partner,” she adds.

Connecting for a better a future

Like other industries, the future of transportation and logistics is set to become increasingly digital. This offers greater opportunities for collaboration between transport and logistics service providers and Vodacom Business to develop new ways of doing business, using the Internet of Things, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence, for example, in a global market.

“What remains key to the sustainable relationship between Vodacom Business and our transport and logistics clients is that we are led by a similar purpose – to connect people and improve lives through access to our services,” concludes Schonborn. “Looking ahead, we hope to leverage our shared capabilities to create a connected ecosystem and establish strong partnerships, such as in financial and health services, that can help build a better future for all of our customers.”