Developing specialized solutions for the global supply chain
By: Mudeeha Yousaf
Nulogy is a leading provider of software and services that use cloud technology to deliver personalized products more efficiently, safely, and intelligently. The Toronto-based company focuses on solving complex problems and is disrupting the way technology is used in the supply chain to help connect partners and manage operations, and is dedicated to the craft of professional software product development.
What started as a team of young and passionate individuals, who sought out to develop revolutionary software, grew into a full-service, fully-certified company. Jason Tham, co-founder and CEO, started the company with the mindset to revolutionize the manufacturing world of consumer packaged brands. Ten years prior to the game-changing position Nulogy holds today, Tham and his core group of four passionate, albeit young, partners began the idea in his parents’ family room. “We cleared out all the couches trying to develop software,” he reminisces. Tham graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of Waterloo, and has a background in manufacturing through his time spent working with Magna International and Kellogg’s, and has also helped grow some other companies in high-tech domains. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit… even in high school I would start small endeavours.”
The team of engineers, including Tham’s father, worked diligently to secure a place in the corporate sphere, and took on the infamous Mars chocolate manufacturing brand as their first client. “We worked with them developing solutions to help measure costs, quality, inventory and performance – it’s what we still do today.” The company thereafter progressed, and grew from a team of 4 to over 50, and is still rapidly growing its operations. “We grow over 50% each year and we’re looking to bring in 30-40 more ‘Nulogites’ this year.”
Though headquartered in downtown Toronto, more than 90% of the business is outside of Canada in international markets and, geographically speaking, the company is growing more into the European and South American markets. In an effort to bring back manufacturing in Canada, the business is looking to attract more attention to national markets while still dabbling in international domains. “In Canada most manufacturing is outsourced, and in Europe it’s a growing trend to be more outsourced, which is driving our growth,” says Tham. “Innovation for Canadian companies will come from solving very difficult problems and our goal is to dramatically evolve the manufacturing sector. The way we do that is we attract driven people that are extremely intelligent and have the conviction to solve that problem.”
Their main products are PackManager and QCloud and their ‘Software as a Service’ is used by the biggest names in brand companies, such as L’Oreal and Kraft. “Customers like us and a lot of their contract manufacturers and packagers, which are often sometimes small businesses, can subscribe to our software online, so everything is over the web,” says Tham. There is a shift towards consumerism within the enterprise where consumer devices can access real-time information of their costs and quality and “a lot of our users use the software on not only a desktop, but iPad or tablet.” As part of continuing efforts to improve the experience of working with Nulogy, the company recently launched a new website geared to both customers and prospective employees for an easier navigation process.
The business is segmented into three distinct areas; consumer brands, pharmaceuticals and life sciences and high-tech retail. “There are three things that drive our whole market: Presence, Proximity and Personalization.” The company abides by the golden rule of three to help enable companies to be present on their network, getting products to consumers that are produced closer to the point of consumption and getting access to more tailored products. “What we’re seeing more and more domestically is, in Canada, whether it is Shoppers Drug Mart or Wal-Mart, retailers want to have very customized products to provide to consumers.” More and more retailers are personalizing their product to the geography for retail presentation, and products being sold in Europe and Asia are different because there is an even greater segmentation and “there’s obviously a lot more countries and languages there, and how people buy products are different. These differences are driving our business.”
To maintain its leadership in its market, the company makes an effort to stay innovative and adapt to the ever-changing trends. A vital aspect for the company is its ambitious team who grow alongside the business. “In Canada it’s not only how you attract but how you retain people for the long-term. It’s a culture right now where high-tech people will hop around between jobs and we make sure we’re building the culture of permanence, not only for today but to retain for tomorrow,” says Tham. “Keeping a high-bar is always a challenge. Finding very good talent is challenging because we are competing with the likes of Google, Amazon and Facebook.” As well, the company asserts itself from the rest through its diverse nature, and 35% of the team is composed of women and minorities. As Tham puts it, “diversity promotes innovation.”
Currently, Nulogy is working conjointly with Gartner Inc. – an American information technology research and advisory firm – and expanding business in the supply chain sector. The company is looking to make a significant investment that will more than triple their R&D initiatives and fuel its growth in emerging markets. “The Brazilian market is on the cusp. Canada is big in land mass but in terms of population the other countries that we serve have a phenomenal amount of opportunity,” says Tham. “We’re in multiple countries and multiple languages. We’ll be working in South America with a very big brand and logistics provider this quarter.”
Voted the 2012 York Technology Association’s Scale-Up Company of the year and amongst Canada’s hottest innovative companies, Nulogy has no plans in slowing down its upward trajectory. “We are working to attract smart people in all our teams with the drive and the belief that this can be done here in Canada,” concludes Tham. “Our source of inspiration is to keep providing high-service to customers.”
For more information on Nulogy, visit http://www.nulogy.com/
