Ex-IBM consultant sees value in the supply chain

Despite having a stable job as a local IBM consultant, Leigh Williams, left the company because he saw an opportunity in the logistics/warehousing market.

Leigh Williams started E-Store seven months ago after hearing, from customers, nightmarish stories of incorrect packages being dispatched, products not being dispatched in a timely fashion and big logistics companies taking more than three months to integrate a new customer into their system.

"I couldn't understand why it would be so hard to integrate a customer into the IT system, especially at a dispatch level," he said.

"I decided to do some research into the market and developed a customised warehouse system management (WSM).

"The majority of logistics companies were telling customers how to run their logistic as opposed to the customer going to them and saying we need help."

"The WSM has small modules which I can take and customise with small a tweak - which takes two hours - for a new customer, as opposed to three month."

One of the first customers Williams signed was an electronic retail giant (he is unable to name due to an MDA).

"In terms of the first client I signed, I approached them with my business plan," he claimed.

"Over a period of a month we looked at how I could add value to their business.

"Once that deal was signed, I set-up a warehouse and got all the bits and pieces together for the business."

Williams told CRN that the tough economic times haven't hindered him in his business plan.

"It gave me more of a bargaining power with renting a warehouse and signing contracts with transport companies," he said.

"In terms of company costs the start-up is much lower because of my business model."

Currently Willams has signed on an engineering company that deals in train parts and we have also signed on another electronics wholesaler and others.

"I'm looking at setting up a Sydney warehouse based on the needs of one our customers and it will be cheaper to expand our operations," he said.