Rob Grimes: Hello, this is Rob Grimes with the IFBTA and I’m very pleased today to be with John Burke the CEO of Armada. So welcome John.
John Burke: Thank you, Rob.
RG: Is the application and solution to provide, are they only in the US or are you providing them internationally as well?
JB: We are in North America as well as in Europe.
RG: Obviously, the big guys get it. But what about the small to medium businesses? How does that fit both in the understanding of what supply chain is and how does it fit in your customer base? Or are you only providing solutions for the really big guys?
JB: Well, to your point, the big guys get it and the big guys see the mobile revolution and engaging consumers at the mobile level creates a fair degree of spikiness in demand. But to your point, scaled organizations understand that that’s very likely the future of engaging the consumer at the retail level. It’s ultimately, to me, something all businesses will be dealing with it in time as consumers continue to embrace the mobile revolution and use our smart phones for determining where we’re going to have a meal today, where we might buy something on special, where we’re going to shop, how we’re going to pay, and so engaging… it’s not just engaging, it’s ultimately being able to respond on a very very frequent basis on a very responsive basis in a way that can respond to actual events in real time. Traditional marketing calendars, if we go back to the days not that long ago of newspaper advertising or other types of marketing, were weeks in development. Today, marketers want to respond very quickly to what’s happening in current events, what’s happening in today’s weather and tomorrow’s weather. And so the marketing cycle shows, it’ll necessitate a shortening of the supply cycle and ultimately i’ll establishment servicing any consumer level demand are going to need the tools that allow them to compete at that level.
RG: Those are all data feeds that you take in as you’re taking a look?
JB: Correct.
RG: Now, I want to come back to one point though. Are small to medium and emerging growth companies capable of taking advantage of the Armada solution?
JB: Absolutely. It’s fundamentally a philosophical commitment for any organization and certainly the business case differs from company to company but ultimately, I believe, that when you are driving more consumer demand, there are a number of different ways to analyze and assess how you approach changing the way you market to consumers.
RG: But I think that if you take a look at the smaller an emerging growth companies, there’s an opportunity there because when you take a look at them, they have 10 units and all of the sudden – let’s say they have 10 units in Pittsburgh – all of the sudden, the next thing you know they’re opening a unit in LA or Dubai, for that matter. I just think that sometimes in this market, people seem to move to expand very quickly, the franchising licensing models is out there. But if they’re going to make those kinds of moves out of their local market, this becomes a more important piece sometimes I think that’s an afterthought. They decide on the location first and they haven’t really thought about how they’re going to take care of that location.
JB: Ultimately, on the supply side, folks need to work with large scaled supply organizations. And to your point, growth is uneven and the bottom line is you have to follow where the consumers want your products. So having the ability to be agile on the supply side is absolutely critical for all retail organizations.
RG: And do you help bring those relationships to the table as well if they don’t have them?
JB: Absolutely. We work in large supply chains, we work with them as a fourth party logistics provider, so we have extended relationships across transportation organizations, warehousing organizations, distribution companies, and we see ourselves as a solution provider not necessarily as a an organization that has to perform all of the operations. So, we are quick when we see opportunities to engage various partners from other training partners and other relationships to bring them into relationships if what they can offer makes sense.
RG: Well great, listen it’s been great to have you today and we really appreciate, the IFBTA appreciates the industry partner support of Armada and yourself. And I think that going down the path there are going to be a lot of opportunities for our members not only to take advantage of you as a partner, but also in education and information that you bring to the table to help them operate better and more efficiently and safely for their customers.
JB: Thanks, Rob. We are looking forward to participating.
RG: Great, thank you for joining us today. Rob Grimes with the IFBTA and here with John Burke the CEO of Armada.
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