Chin Abeywickrama — Netlogix
Auckland entrepreneur Chin Abeywickrama (right) quit what he describes as a comfortable job at Fonterra and sold his house to finance his new venture, Netlogix, in 2012.
The business is a technology-based freight logistics company, serving clients across Australia and New Zealand. His digital marketplace integrates more than 500 customer sites and 200 carriers.
The foundation customer was Carter Holt Harvey and current clients include Oji Fibre Solutions, Fletcher Building and Steel & Tube.
The business shifts more than 3 million tonnes of freight a year. It operates by collaborating with freight owners and carriers, targeting “inherent inefficiencies” in the freight-forwarding market.
In Abeywickrama’s words, Netlogix brings “sustainable freight efficiencies that owners and carriers cannot bring acting on their own”. Freight can be moved via rail, road or coastal shipping.
It also shifts significant numbers of trucks off the roads, and the system works for both large freight-forwarders and SMEs.
For freight owners, Netlogix offers a centralised freight desk where they can access a network of carriers with a single point of contact.
For carriers, it offers a level playing field with access to Netlogix’s freight network, greater operational certainty and better use of assets.
Abeywickrama says the business has seen significant growth in the past five years. In 2013, it served 35 transport operators and just over 100 customer sites. Today, more than 500 customer sites and 200 carriers are on its books. iteration, which involved setting up Google apps for half a dozen customers, Dan bet on Salesforce, and later, Heroku. Salesforce is currently the top customer relationship management (CRM) platform while Heroku (owned by Salesforce) enables companies to develop software rather than worrying about hardware and services.
Trineo’s growth wasn’t without obstacles. The Christchurch earthquake destroyed its offices and the company was forced to relocate temporarily to Fowlie’s home. Co-founder Abhinav Keswani moved back to his Sydney hometown and made the most of a stressful time by expanding Trineo’s work to Australia.
Today, Trineo operates from New Zealand, Australia, the US and Europe. Staff numbers are around 65. The company has funded itself via client work, taking on no debt.