Tech sector veterans John O’Neill and Denise O’Kelly are the brains behind logistics platform HUB360 which uses smart technology to make the distribution of goods more efficient. “HUB360 is an end-to-end digital management system for order fulfilment that gives companies complete control of their distribution activity,” O’Neill says. “The system optimises deliveries and makes the process simpler, faster and cheaper with full traceability and no more lost paperwork as our solution eliminates the paperwork for good.”
HUB360 was initially aimed at SMEs as it offered them an affordable way of digitising existing paper-based order fulfilment processes. However, it has also caught the attention of enterprise customers and O’Neill says the platform is fully scalable, has global reach and can be used to process any kind of product from concrete blocks to bananas. The system is suitable for companies with their own delivery fleets but will also work with contract and third-party hauliers.
O’Neill and O’Kelly are independent IT consultants who have frequently joined forces to work on projects in the past. O’Neill has more than 20 years’ experience in IT systems development and support, mainly in the logistics and transportation sector, while O’Kelly has spent most of her career in the field of web development and digital applications.
The idea for HUB360 came about when an existing customer asked O’Neill for his help in appraising a piece of distribution software he was thinking of buying. “The software was fine, but it did only 60 per cent of what he wanted it to do,” O’Neill explains. “I was pretty sure I could design a solution that would give him 100 per cent of his wish list and he agreed to let me try.” O’Neill started working on a solution that would address issues such as excessive paperwork and help improve the workflow between departments when it came to building loads and getting them delivered. However, as the development progressed, the idea grew legs and ultimately developed into the standalone HUB360 platform.
Cloud-based HUB360 is designed to solve time-consuming tasks such as load and route planning, mixed load fulfilment and automated customs clearance – a newly developed add-on to the system to facilitate those exporting to the UK post Brexit. “The real strength of the platform lies in the simple and intuitive design of the apps that make up the HUB360 ecosystem and the fact that it is a comprehensive solution whereas competing products offer only part of what we provide,” O’Neill says. “In addition, by addressing the inefficiencies in the supply chain, HUB360 can also have a positive impact on the reduction of GHG.”
HUB360 was developed inhouse by O’Neill’s existing IT company so the investment cost was in man days rather than hard cash, but O’Neill estimates development costs at about €3.7 million over two years. O’Neill and O’Kelly are now working full-time on HUB360 and will be expanding their current team of four over the next six to 12 months. The company is based in Naas and has received support from Kildare LEO and from the Kildare-based Merits innovation think space which supports digital and technology innovation.
At the moment the company makes its money by selling and customising the platform for users and charging a monthly subscription and a support and maintenance fee. However, in the interests of simplicity O’Neill says it is now in the process of transitioning to a full SaaS payments model.
HUB360′s competitors include large-scale enterprise resource planning systems from big names such as SAP and Oracle, but O’Neill points out that HUB360 is significantly less expensive to buy and also easy to integrate into existing systems. “Our flexible and simple modular-based approach means a customer need only deploy the elements they require and there is currently no mid-level system providing our degree of functionality at such an accessible price point,” he says.
