Onspot’s focus on providing patented cloud-based digital solutions for Anti-counterfeiting, Consumer Engagement & Visibility in Supply Chain
Our technology avoids the need for significant adjustments to a brand’s existing production manner. The technology is built around a simple smartphone app that enables product verification anywhere in the supply chain.
Mr. Lokesh Harjani, Founder & CEO, Onspot
What inspired you to launch the ONSPOT SOLUTIONS? How were the early days of its making?
The idea for Onspot was founded by me when I encountered a fake bottle of water many years ago. After taking ill for months thereafter, I thought about working on a Technology where one could verify product identity, and understand its authentication. I finally designed the Solutions in which, “buyers (could) beware,” as the adage goes. The company’s mission is very much fundamental in its outlook by providing patented cloud-based digital solutions for Anti-counterfeiting (Product Authentication), Consumer Engagement & Visibility in Supply Chain remains Onspot’s focus.
What problem are you trying to solve?
Onspot tackles many pain points that occur in the supply and distribution chain between plants, OEM partners, warehouses, distributors, stockists, and retailers for companies and brands. Through a systemized approach, all are linked through the Onspot platform and get up to the minute information on the progress and whereabouts of goods with additional value-added features which ease day-to-day problems such as breakage and lost or stolen goods along the value chain.
A brand can now know every step in the supply chain of every product’s schedule so that problems can be resolved, and changes can be implemented based on the information that is made available. Through OnSpot Solutions, a brand is provided with data to help understand consumer behaviour and low sale areas to create laser-focused marketing campaigns and tailor-made experiences for end-users. Our patented technology also helps identify counterfeiting.
Can you share the journey of your Company?
OnSpot Solutions entered the market in 2020 to close the gap between manufacturers and their consumers by promising product authenticity and digitizing every step of the supply chain to fuel well-informed decisions whose outcome directly influenced a brand’s overall growth. At OnSpot Solutions, we ground ourselves in unmatched technology drawn from years of thorough R & D.
OnSpot has a dynamic team of passionate engineers and security experts who have achieved technological success in Google, Amazon, and Yahoo Etc. We now have a nationwide presence, with a Head office in Mumbai, a North Regional office in Noida and an East Regional office in Kolkata – all dedicated to increasing the transparency in a brand’s supply chain. Clients across industries with which Onspot works have been receptive and provided accolades. These industries include pharmaceuticals, electrical hardware, automotive, oil and lubricants, cosmetics and personal care and the spirits segment.
At this pace of growth, what is your vision 5-10 years down the line for the organization?
As part of its roadmap to the future, OnSpot Solutions shall focus on aggressive core product expansion, research and development, talent acquisition, and a comprehensive suite of products for all business segments with a focus specifically on the Pharma, FMCG industries, electrical and automotive (lubricants and spares), segments. The company envisions much growth in this active segment and truly looks to bridge the gap between brand and consumer. It seems not just the need of the hour, but a longer-term business and living approach for brands and individuals alike. Onspot has been gaining traction from its salesforce deployed around India and through company to company references as the goals of market-leading brands are united in the step against anti-counterfeiting and consumer outreach. We maintain patents in India and abroad and are one of the first to create such technology.
How are your solutions different from the competitors?
To set ourselves apart from our competition, OnSpot Solutions grounds itself in unmatched technology drawn from years of thorough R & D. Onspot’s product authentication and the anti-counterfeiting system works with current barcodes and packaging, with minimal tweaks or add-ons such as QR codes and other types of overt and covert tracking measures, depending on the amount of tracking required. Our technology avoids the need for significant adjustments to a brand’s existing production manner. The technology is built around a simple smartphone app that enables product verification anywhere in the supply chain. It also provides a flexible system that allows for individual customization and security improvements in response to the danger posed by counterfeiters. We keep innovating our product and try to offer more varied solutions to be different from our competitors.
Counterfeiting is a global sickness. How has this affected India?
While counterfeiting is a global problem that has affected every economy in the globe, the trends in the last two years are concerning for the Indian economy and Indian lives. During and after the pandemic, the Indian markets have been getting consistently adulterated by criminals selling fake and substandard products, endangering the lives of our paramedical professionals, security volunteers, patients, and society at large, by taking advantage of the high demand for medicines, health supplements, safety products, hygiene products, and other essentials. Serial scammers are now using new-age manufacturing and printing technology too, to imitate finishes, print boxes, labels, codes, and packaging that perfectly look like authentic products. In 2020, the global pandemic and the rise of e-commerce sales led to an increase in fake goods. For example, in cosmetics and personal care, there are reports of a 56% increase in counterfeit products sold via online channels. More seriously, fears over shortages of medicines, pharmaceuticals – and now vaccines – in many regions have led to greater penetration of counterfeit goods, against which consumers need protection. This scenario now has increased the use of anti-counterfeiting solutions; track and trace schemes among brands.
How did the pandemic change you as a founder and leader?
The pandemic, although tragic in many ways, actually opened many new doors and opportunities for technology companies like us. People were working from home and ordering everything online. The e-commerce sector saw a huge boom and that made people understand the importance of technology in the supply chain even more. So, as a founder, I lead my team into tapping into this opportunity and making the maximum out of it. We got busy addressing new and increased demands prompted by a shift in consumer habits. As a founder of a technology company, I saw it beneficial to educate manufacturers about the technology. That made more brands come on board with us as they saw the benefits of having a digital service like ours. I have been lucky to have acquired good talent and those that are industry-specific since it deals across a plethora of sectors with each having its unique format and requirements.
Tell us your experience in brand building in the supply chain.
While marketing is still considered to be the driving point of any brand, it can’t be the only aspect of building a successful brand. The right products, persuasive communication, effective customer service and efficient delivery channels, serve as the pillars for our brand building. Especially after the pandemic, manufacturers and consumers are becoming more and more aware of the importance of technology. Now, manufacturers are keen to adopt newer technologies to stay ahead of the competition. In brand-building, one of the key aspects is to build customer loyalty through prompt service and constant innovation. As a supply chain technology business, we are constantly investing in Research and Development, and adapting to different technologies and methods to drive continuous improvements and take our brand ahead of the competition by meeting the growing and ever-evolving needs and demands of the consumers.
How is IoT/Big Data/AI/Robotics evolving today in the industry as a whole?
Organizations are now investing heavily in supply chain technologies to address data quality, compliance, risk management, connecting silos, understanding fast-changing markets, costing, and supplier relationships. Applying technology-driven models across supply chain operations is the way forward for companies to better prepare for the risks of supply chain management, product development, and sales lifecycles. Onspot has been successful in deploying its technology across many sectors including electrical hardware, automotive, pharmaceutical, oil and lubricants, cosmetics and personal care and the spirits segment.
What are some of the challenges faced by the industry today?
One of the main challenges the industry faces today is that the Cloud back End needs to be integrated seamlessly into the Brand’s production line to ensure that these unique random codes are printed on the products before they are dispatched. To combat this, we have developed a packing software that allows the client to pack and ship these unique codes from their manufacturing lines to the retailer, who interacts with the end customer. Across the entire distribution chain, scans are done at all checkpoints to ensure that what was sent is received, thus providing a blockchain kind of security until the end consumer receives it. The challenge essentially is the smooth coordination of everything from the back end to the end consumer in a timely manner.
