“I’ve seen way too many people give up too early. If you believe in your idea, you just cannot give up. Believe in yourself. Believe in the idea. There’ll be a lot of people will tell you it’s not worth it, that it’s too late. It is too early.”
– Amit Mahajan, Founder and CEO of Phoenix Innovations
Episode Summary
Although companies understand the importance of reverse logistics to retaining maximum product value and keeping product out of waste streams, it can be very complex to know how much should be invested in a product for resale and where it will fetch the highest price. From smartphones to sunglasses and every product in between, analytics can be deployed to maximize the return of reverse logistics.
Amit Mahajan is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Phoenix Innovations, a company that offers several types of software and inspection robotics for assessing value and placing products for resale.
In this interview, recorded live at MODEX 2020, Amit Mahajan talks to Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton about:
- Why he thinks it is past time for the world to look beyond China for their product sourcing needs
- The widespread promise of robotics as the largest generation in history exits the workforce
- How the highest costs in an operation or a supply chain (whether labor, inefficiency or something else) will always create the best opportunity for innovation
Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] It’s time for Supply Chain Now Radio Broadcasting live from Supply chain capital of the country, Atlanta, Georgia. Supply Chain Now Radio spotlights the best in all things supply chain the people, the technology, the best practices and the critical issues of the day. And now here are your hosts.
[00:00:29] Good afternoon, Scott Luton. Back with you here. Liveline Supply chain. Now welcome back to the show. We’re broadcasting live today from Moto X, the largest supply chain trade show in the Western Hemisphere, a spin. It’s being held right here in Atlanta, G-8’s de Supply chain City. And we’ve got a really interesting episode here as we’re gonna be interviewing an innovative business leader and entrepreneur. And stay tuned as we look to increase your your supply chain entrepreneurial IQ on this episode. Say that Lindauer 17 times that for 22. On Monday afternoon. On a quick programing note, though, you can find our podcast wherever you get your podcast from. We invite you to subscribe so you don’t miss a single thing. Let’s welcome in my fearless co-host here on today’s show Greg White Serial Supply chain tech entrepreneur, trusted advisor, Supply chain adjutant and a recently crowned Atlanta City Tennis champion. Greg, how you doing? Good. He didn’t read is quite the intro as if that isn’t enough. And gosh, don’t you think it all? You didn’t bring your your your golden plate.
[00:01:35] I did not. No, I didn’t think you’d be hanging. Follow me on Twitter. You can see it. OK. One of my less adult moments.
[00:01:43] All right. Well, Grae, we’ve got a great conversation teed up here today. I’m so glad we’re able to kind of fit this one in. And a Phenix Innovations team stays really busy. They’ve had a lot of interest here at Moto X and we’ve got their founder and CEO. Meet my Zhaan with us. Yeah. How you doing? Hey, good. How are you, Scott? Doing fantastic. I’m so glad we could fit in, as I saw as you were visiting our section of this Supply chain world. A lot of folks want to get a bit of your time look like.
[00:02:12] Yeah. Good to be here. And there’s a lot of activity going on over here. Not as much as we wanted to be. Yeah. You know, hopefully tomorrow is going to be better.
[00:02:20] That’s right. Yeah, it’s it’s a tough. Like we’ve talked about and. Yeah. A lot of conversations while episodes already, including the lead up to it is a tough time for many, including those in the trade show and then certainly in Supply chain. But I like your optimism.
[00:02:35] Well, put a new news every day and every day is a chance for good news. That’s right. As an entrepreneur, you have to be optimist. Sure. Yeah. There’s anything else you have to help him. Yeah, you know. Yeah, that’s true.
[00:02:46] So I think that that’s kind of that’s gonna set the tone for this interview kind of. Yes. My sense.
[00:02:53] So he must be really, really optimistic. Cause wait till you hear how many entrepreneurial ventures.
[00:03:01] All right. So on that note, let’s get you know me a little bit better. So we start talking shop and we talk about phoenicks innovations and what that team does. Let’s get a little better. So tell us, where were you born? Arrays. And give us an anecdote or two about your your upbringing. Sure.
[00:03:17] So if you have not guessed by my accent at this point, I was born in India. I was born in a city close to Mumbai called Puny. And I grew up in Mumbai, did my engineering or there, went to UK for a bit, did some research over there, and then came to United States. So part of the U.K., I was in London and I was in Ipswich. Okay. The work for Beatie Labs. Yeah. Yeah. So. Okay. So I’m a telco. All all my years of experience worked or there came to us work with. And then it didn’t work out.
[00:03:57] So for whatever reason and a lot of work by the wayside. No, I was thankful for that. So I was in Atlanta. Okay. And a part of the mass markets group and then worked for telco called Alltel Communications. Yeah. Cause and don’t come from there on. I went to Cingular Wireless. It was one of the early members. Those were the days. Yeah I know. Right. Yeah. We we were conquering the world. Yeah. Yeah. We actually I mean believe it or not, we actually went in and bought AT&T Wireless.
[00:04:32] I remember that. Because it went AT&T. Yeah. Cingular and then back.
[00:04:36] Back. Yeah. Yeah. So we thought we’d won the World Cup. You won the Golden Plate if you won the Golden Plate. Yeah. In the day I worked for Southwestern Bell Mobile Systems.
[00:04:47] When really they split the cell companies away from the telcos Jenny, we go through this cycle in Daryl of divestitures and consolidation. Yeah. So I think we’re getting close. You are devastated your cycle very soon as well. Goes with the consolidation of T-Mobile and Sprint. Yep.
[00:05:08] No, there’s only three big ones left. And so I think at some point in time it will start getting split up again. Plus, I think, you know, it would have been a tough time. People in these large companies feel stifled and they want to go old and they want to innovate. They don’t want to be bound by the rules and regulations and sounds like somebody speaking their life.
[00:05:30] So, yes, before we talk, a Phenix innovation. So before we ask you, what inspired you to become an entrepreneur? I have a feeling you just told us. I think so. Right.
[00:05:39] Well, we’re gonna I’m a backup before we go forward. OK. Because you shared a little tidbit, right? forwent love about your passion for motorcycles. Yeah. Yeah. So share a little bit about because that that’s a as we look into the humor human eyes who weren’t. We’re interviewing. Tell us more about that.
[00:05:57] So I love motorcycles. I’ve been writing since I was a kid in India. And I came to United States. The speech scared me a bit.
[00:06:06] But then I got used to it, you know? You know, after a while, you you’re like, OK, you’re gonna do it. That’s it. You know, so I had to work really hard to convince my wife. So in a moment of weakness, you actually agreed to let me buy a motorcycle, you know, so, you know, it works in our household or every household. States. Right. So but then. Yeah. I bought a couch like a ninja back in 2001. Mm hmm. And I wrote it for many number of years and then didn’t for a while. And then 2016, I sold my last winter and I was toying on an idea of buying something nice. Hmm. The horsey guy, you know. Yeah. So. Yeah, yeah. So where it was too expensive. Mm hmm. So we said let’s donate some money to charity and buy some wheelchairs. Exactly. Yeah. Two instead of the four. Yes. More fun. Yeah. The Ferrari of motorcycle is a Ferrari of motorcycles. Exactly. So what’s the fastest you ever been on a motorcycle on a track of course. Yeah. Exactly. I think we should talk about Kisha. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. I don’t wanna get in trouble. Right. So the fastest I’ve been is 145 miles an hour. Okay. All right. Yeah. You can make too many mistakes at that.
[00:07:30] Yeah. Corners, no. Corners, nothing. We go there straight. You go and that’s it. Yeah. And you know, you start downshifting very quickly. All right. So you can’t break it. Yeah, right. Right. I think we could have the motorcycling hour easily here. Oh yeah. But you and me and Greg, I think we got a number of years on the bike. Yeah. Yeah, it’s great.
[00:07:55] But let’s just say I want to talk about Phenix Innovations. Yeah. Yeah, we did. You know, of course. Pre-Show homework. Uh, yeah. Really? UPS intriguing things. What does a company do first?
[00:08:05] So Phenix Innovations works in the area of reverse Logistics. The common problem that companies face in reverse Logistics is when they bring the product back in into their channels, into the reverse channels. They really don’t know how to value it and how to dispose of it. So there is a significant intrinsic value that’s left in product. So take for instance, these sunglasses. These are made by Oakley realize.. high value item, right?
[00:08:35] Probably 250, 300 all item. If you were to buy this thing on Oakley dot com and then return it back again, what would Oakley do with this? So the process would be would go back into the channels that probably take off these rubber inserts, you know, clean up the glasses, put new inserts in because you don’t want to be having the same ones, sanitize the glasses and then more than likely repackage it and sell it as a used item. Right. In some cases, for a number of years, people didn’t do that. They would just take that, put it all into a box and just auction it off for no pennies on the dollar. So literally, I mean, these glasses, you probably 15 years ago, you’d have bought it for five bucks in an auction, you know, or they would go into a landfill because they don’t want to be creating a Greene market. All right. Around you there. top-line brand product. Right. So they would crush it or go into the landfill. So over the years, the industry has matured. The supply chain industry has matured. And they realize there’s a lot of value in this and it’s environmentally friendly to put these back into circulation. Maybe not in the same markets, maybe the rest of the world. So take, for instance, smartphones. Smartphone has second thought, maybe even a fourth life. Right. You know. And we don’t realize. But a smartphone, iPhone 6 today in the United. Nobody wants it. But if you go to Southeast Asia somewhere, Philippines, Thailand, Africa, Africa. Yeah, people would love to go. Yeah. You know, I mean, that it still sells. So so looking at that problem and having been in the telco world for these many years, we saw this as a niche problem and we started to solve the Soviet build a product. Our product is called Midas. Like I. Yeah, exactly. The Midas touch it touches into the gold. Right.
[00:10:30] So we extract maximum value from the return product and we define and identify the amount of investment you need to make into that product to revive it and to bring it to a value. And then imagine this. Imagine if you’re getting 50 thousand returns every month on phones.
[00:10:53] How would you know which ones to invest money in and which ones not to invest in? Right. It becomes a people issue. It becomes a process issue. Well, we said rather than that, let’s make your system issue and we solved it in the system. So it’s we’ve got an AI machine learning system which keeps on learning. It gathers information from all around the world, values the product figures out for that specific phone. What should be the investment made or should there even be an investment.
[00:11:24] Right. Based on its condition and its model. Exactly. You can say, hey, it’s worth $230 in Morocco. Yes. It there. Yeah. Exactly. And you know what? It’s OK to spend $50 into refurbishing it or doing whatever or, you know, changing the glass or fate or whatever the case may. You know, there’s demand. Yes. Yeah. Exactly.
[00:11:43] When you’re making that call and, you know, most people, most businessmen are willing to put in an investment if there is a value to be gained at the out of the cycle. Right. So this is this is the best way to do it. So this is a system that enables you to make these decisions without a human having to make those drastic decisions. So. So that’s that’s one of our products. The second product that we have is. So we are we have a very data savvy company. We have data science companies. So we we have built what is called UPS Supply chain Insight product. It’s a it’s a deep learning, A.I. based data analytics product that allows you to do forecasting Real-Time Auction Value, monitoring your basic bread and butter data analytics, you know. So it’s all cloud based. It’s easy to deploy. It’s all on tap. Which SAS product? Both of these are SAS products. So literally so one is a service to the other.
[00:12:41] Is that or one is? Yes. That’s still part of Phenix. Yes. Computer. Yeah, but our part of Phenix would typically lead with the supply chain inside products of you go in and we would deploy the data analytics product and we would. That makes it easy to show value in business case. Right. To go in and deploy Midas. Right. And that’s what people care about. They don’t care about the how exactly. It’s the what. Yeah, exactly right.
[00:13:09] And the beauty of it is both are so software as a service. Both our browser based there’s there’s no significant hardware that is required. Easy to deploy, easy to manage, centrally located. You could have 20 warehouses and you could deploy Midas in all 20 of them all centrally manage full rules-based engine. So you you know, you can have thousands of SKUs and it would still be able to do proper disposition based on that as well. So, I mean, we we found with the iPhone significant customers who like it. Mm hmm. Significant size. So good Fortune 50 is nice.
[00:13:54] There were no winners. Phenix Innovations is based where, in Atlanta, Georgia or in Africa. Where else would you rather have a company named Phenix? And so but you’re doing business globally clearly with VR. Fifty. Yes. Yes. Outstanding. So modest was the name of the first product. What was the name of the second product? Supply chain in Sciarrotta. Supply chain inside. OK. Well, I hate to ask what else. Because there’s so much we could dove deeper in those two.
[00:14:20] Yeah. So we have AWS. So last year we a few years ago we realized that the world is moving towards automation and automated systems. Labor is getting more and more expensive around the world. And and, you know, to compete with China, we really need to have a different answer. We cannot have labor as an answer. So automation is one area that we started focusing on. We started a company called Griffin Robotic. Now Griffin Robotic is based out of India.
[00:14:53] Okay. What about, say, Griffin, Georgia? But someday some someday. Yeah, exactly.
[00:15:00] But Griffin is based out of India. Griffin focuses on inspection robotics. So there’s a lot of pick and place robotics. There’s a lot of robotics, which is SRS is automated storage and retrieval systems and, you know, bots that can move your racks around and do picking for you and things like that. Right. Refocussed on inspection as a technology reform, the mission that we are inspecting, high value items such as smartphones and grading them. Got it. So in today’s world, you would have a line of 40, 50 people sitting down looking at phones and in 10 seconds, the greater phone. Yeah. But guess what? If I grade A phone as B, I I can be about 70 percent sure you’re not going to it as B because your eyes look at it different. Mine, right? The angle of the light plays it all laughing splatter, all right. And if you think about it, the difference between a grade E and a grade B of A phone in a reseller market is probably about $70 on an average.
[00:16:06] You’re leaving? Yes. Out of money. Yes. You know, that’s what they get graded more often. Absolutely. Yeah. Get it up as well. Yeah. And so what happens is that the market has realized that in the market economy, basically self-corrected said so. So you actually have now grade BS going off as gray days and then the person who’s buying at the other end probably makes a mistake of buying it as a grade a plus few times and then realizes oh I’m actually getting B’s. Yeah. So then he drops the price and it’s all options. Yeah. Kind of connected sulfates and we’re talking, you know, over the course of hundreds of thousands of devices. That’s one $70 mistake in terms of valuation.
[00:16:48] A big board. Higbee us. Yeah. It adds up very quickly. You know what I also didn’t realize is going back to something shared. I think it’s really relevant for this segment. The conversation is that demand of previous generation iPhones. Yeah. You know that Affan 60 is example use. I just I just moved from Athens 6. A shame.
[00:17:11] A shame to say a couple months ago. Yeah, but you took a big leap into a low level. Oh he I mean you mess around.
[00:17:18] I went for like a 57 Chevy. You know, I don’t know how but it I or something but ussler. Yeah. Tesla. Tesla.
[00:17:25] But I think a lot of folks may not understand that side of the smartphone devices. That side of the reverse. Just just the market. Yeah. All right. So Griffin. Robo tech all about the inspection. Yes. Of these devices that get really good, accurate valuations, which evidently can save business or make business millions of the lot.
[00:17:50] Yeah, exactly. So we like the process. Right. Exactly.
[00:17:55] So we have a package pending technology that different produced. It’s and it’s an A.I. 3D imaging using a Tuti camera. So we can actually we can tell you the depth of the scratch based on the tuta image that we. Wow. It’s it’s pretty interesting tech. But it seems like that would you’re taking measures or adding measures take to get as objective as you can impact evaluation. Yeah. And now we we did that. And then I was traveling back and forth from India alone. So I sat next to this guy who works at McLaren and we got talking. He’s the CFO, were there and he said, hey, would you talk to our engineers? Because they’re trying to figure out how to understand and do QE on the scratches on pistons. Where McLennon. Mm hmm.
[00:18:53] Interesting. Wow. DePillis. Gates. Yeah, exactly right. Whatever gets you closer to a very fast car. Exactly right. And then I tried to convince me to buy one. Of course, I know. Resisted up to this point. Yeah. Up to this point being the wait wait for the 720 s. Yeah. Exactly. Then buy one. Yeah. Yeara I’m already lost. I’m already lost. All right. So beautiful. There’s one other business and venture. Yeah. May want to touch on.
[00:19:22] Yeah. So we have a third company as part of the group. It’s called Excalibur Infotech. It’s it’s our in-house product development company. It’s a software company. So rather than outsourcing this to other people, the outsourced your own company and then the guilty company. Exactly. So so Griffin and Phenix designed the products and then Excalibur built it for both the companies and then delivers it. Where’s that located? Oh, so Excalibur is located here in Atlanta. OK. Also in Pune, India. Okay. Yeah.
[00:19:57] So I have a company. We have. We have our own internal. Yeah. Yeah. Offshore development. Yeah. And pwning as well. Oh really nice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah we should. Great town. Yeah.
[00:20:06] We’ll have to go visit together. Exactly. We’ll say to your parents I’m actually going on Wednesday if you want to tag along. I can’t make it that way. Right.
[00:20:16] All right. So thank you for walking us through kind of those three complementary business models. And I can only imagine how you’re you’re kind of leveraging the family of companies to work together to talk to you.
[00:20:29] But I’m not dying. Okay. Please. Sorry. So I have one more small companies. This is a young startup. It’s a worth my homework on this one. They’re great. Well, I mean, he probably started it while we were doing the show. Please. So it’s got ricochet motorcycle. So blending in the passion to do to ride motorcycles and.
[00:20:52] And, you know, working on them in my own garage and stuff like that, so eventually I got round to starting it was with a guy who’s a young builder in India. He built one of the bikes for me and I loved it so much. He came out, he asked me if I want to start a company, and I said, why not? You know, when you had some spare space at Griffin factory.
[00:21:17] Really? Yeah, exactly. You put it all together and. Yeah.
[00:21:20] And so we’re now building custom bikes. Wow. And so it’s it’s a new movement in India. The market is not very well developed on a bike. So we typically take a three a 350 to 500 bullet and field bullet and then we customize it. OK, you make it into choppers and they get do it is awesome. Yeah, it’s it’s it’s fun.
[00:21:46] Tiny little crotch rockets. Are you doing. We haven’t done those yet. I don’t think the chassis lends itself well. It does. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I’m hesitant to move on because you might say, hey, wait, there’s more. Now let’s just ask. So what’s what company did you just start five minutes ago. I have not yet. OK. I think it’s safe. Yeah. Yeah. All right. So you were right.
[00:22:08] Yeah. Throw a curveball at you little bit. You think you can you can answer this in your sleep as being as entrepreneurial as you are. Lots of different ventures and passions and following up on your passions. And I love I love kind of like the strategic approach. You’ve taken the motorcycle venture, maybe not as much, but as first three companies. I can almost see how they can they work together. Yeah. What? Whether where the four audience members that are curious about being entrepreneurs, maybe they’re in school or maybe they’re early in industry or maybe they’re in early stage companies. Right. And they’re in the trenches fighting blood, sweat and tears. What’s one piece of advice I meet that you would share to get folks to break through? Just don’t give up.
[00:22:55] I just you know, I’ve seen way too many people give up too early. Mm hmm. And I think anything that has helped us be where we are is tenacity. We just will fight it. If you believe in your idea, you just cannot give up. Mm hmm. So believe in yourself. Believe in the idea. There’ll be a lot of people will tell you it’s not worth it. It’s too late. It’s too early.
[00:23:22] I can’t listen to them. Yeah, it can be done. I can’t tell you how many times people told me. So when I started the robotic somebody in my biggest customer, they pulled me aside and he was like, are you serious? You want to do this? And I said, why do you ask? I mean, he said, well, you’re a software guy. You’ve been doing software for 25 years. What do you know about electronics and robots? And I say, well, I went to trikes and engineer. That should help. But yeah, it was. But that was a long time ago. But I think I think if you’ve got an idea and and you go after it pretty hard, you can make it happen. The best thing about it is building good, solid teams, empowering them, funding them. And then, you know, and then just. Doing good. I mean, people. People work hard. When you when you give them respect, when you work closely with them and you know, when they see you not giving up as well, I mean, I we me and so all my leadership, we we work shoulder to shoulder with all the engineers. We are all engineers. Top to bottom. The entire company is full of engineers. Yeah. Even our even our V.P. of intellectual property. She’s an engineer as well.
[00:24:42] The original I mean, she is sixty five years old and just getting started. Well, you have no idea. Yeah, I know. Five years ago she called me up and she says, hey, would you write me a recommendation letter?
[00:24:59] As for what? And she says, well, I want to do masters. OK. Electromechanical. Are you mad? You already have a masters. Yeah. But I want to do another masters in electromechanical engineering. I said, why? Because it’s free. I’m over 60 and it’s free.
[00:25:16] Georgia State. But you know Minnesota. Okay. Yeah. So. So lots of schools are doing that. Yeah. And so it’s it’s amazing. And so I did Ryder it go and she got in.
[00:25:28] And, you know, the most amazing thing is she gets to learn from all these kids and dig it. To have a free IP lawyer in their classroom. Yeah. As they are coming up with these new ideas. Yeah. They got free and she’s helping them protect her. Yeah, exactly. I mean it’s it’s it’s a match made in heaven. You know, it’s brilliant and it’s just great. People gotta love that kind of ambition. Exactly. I love it.
[00:25:55] Yeah. All right. So we’re gonna kind of broad back out. We’ve kind of walk through the different elements of the enterprise Sheer. I want to get you to weigh in on the global business environment. The global in an supply chain world. When you think about all the the ever evolving world environment we live in. Right. What’s a trend or issue or topic or two that you’re really tracking more than others right now?
[00:26:22] I think the world is starting to look at risk from China a lot more seriously than they have been in the past. I think President Trump’s been talking about it for a while. I may not agree with all his policies, but I think I do agree with this one that we are too slanted towards China for building all our things. And we need to take a step back and ask ourselves the question here. What if China were not to produce it? What would happen to us? I mean, so we look at chrono wires right now. Yeah, most Chinese factories are down. It’s hitting us hard. Yeah.
[00:26:59] And and if you think about it, a lot of medical supplies.
[00:27:07] Non-farming supplies are coming out of China like cotton swabs, bandages and stuff like that, it’s all over the charts. Yeah. Girls mask everything, right. So all of that was being produced over there in that supply chain is like, no Silom. It’s dark, right? And so. There’s a massive impact, so I think people are starting to take a step back and say, wait a minute. What has happened here and how do I protect myself from this? So we really need to start looking at this and and figure out what sort of opportunities it creates. And I feel that the tremendous opportunities will be in manufacturing around the world. I think there will be secondary and tertiary manufacturing zones that would be created. People are looking at India quite a bit at the moment. It’s it’s a more stable economy, more stable democracy than China is. China is not really a democracy, but yeah, you know what I mean?
[00:28:06] And I like you’re a straight shooter. I like that. I meet. Sorry about that. Is there something I learned works late.
[00:28:12] So. But there is a I think European Union with Brexit is a big challenge as well. I think Poland offers tremendous opportunities for manufacturing in EU. I think manufacturing will come back two years as well. I feel there are a lot of secondary areas in the US which are hurting quite a bit because because they’re being neglected.
[00:28:40] I think we’ve got a lot of. Lot of wealth concentrated in metros.
[00:28:46] But if you go in to secondary and deal three cities in the US, yeah, there’s a lot less wealth and there’s a lot of pain. Yes. And I think generally and there’s a lot of opportunity. I mean, I think and good people I mean, there’s a lot of good workers out here. Right. So there’s no reason why we if we build companies in those areas, we can’t, you know, so.
[00:29:09] So think about it. This. What kind of opportunities does this present to us? Right. I supply chain people. It presents shipping opportunities because goods have to go back and forth to these areas. It affords us warehousing opportunities, handling opportunities, and it offers us robotic opportunities. People will be there doing things, so we will hire workers to actually assemble and put things together.
[00:29:35] So there will be manufacturing components that will be required. So. So now you are getting the whole gamut. And and hopefully I I I really hope that the investment community, the private equity markets support this going forward, because I feel we really need to bring that back into the country when the Western Hemisphere, there is no way around it.
[00:29:58] Yeah. The largest the largest generation in the history of the planet is exiting the workforce. Ten thousand. Exactly right. And the only way to compete with masses of very cheap labor that China has is with robotics. Yeah. So between robotics and and between that cost structure in China and the reduction of population of your workforce in the U.S. and in in the Western Hemisphere, then we really have to expect that robotics is the way that we can compete. And it’s a great lever. That’s a great not not only to to diversify to secondary and tertiary markets, for production to Southeast Asia and South America. And in the states for for secondary and tertiary production of goods as a second source, maybe there’s an opportunity to be a first source. Exactly. And robotics deflation is hard enough.
[00:30:54] Yeah. Reduce risk tremendously. Also, you know, it can act as a amazing procurement tool because you know, you can negotiate better. Yeah. You’re not held hostage. That’s right. You know, so.
[00:31:05] Yeah. Think about. And you’ve got a plan B if a disruption occurs in any one particular area. Companies have. Some companies have actively managed that against that kind of risk for decades, some for just a few years. And now I think many, many more will. Yes.
[00:31:23] All right, so let’s make sure as we started kind of want things down here, how can it it what’s the best place, I guess Phenix Innovations, your alma was the best place to learn more about ever, all the incredible things you and your team are up to these days. So I’ll give you a couple of UPS I please.
[00:31:42] The Phenix Innovations website is p.I. Popeye India 1 0 8 dot com. Yeah, and the Gryphon robotic web site is Griffon jerai f f y n dot i/o. And so we’ve got all our products and stood out there. We didn’t mention one of the products that Griffin’s working on is in Industrial Io T. So if you’ve got an edge box which is Industrial I.A.E.A. Artificial intelligence capable, we can run inferencing engines on that, deep learning engines on that. And so that and we have a cloud which monitors operational excellence dashboards because out of the box Trish Boehm. So we would love to talk to people over here at the show who have machines does this can easily and seamlessly integrate into their machines and give them immediate access to those machines from online and give them visibility. So so we’re slowly I mean, we are we had a three and a half year old group at this point in time, we’re slowly stitching these things together. Our intent is, is is that we we should be able to give an end to end supply chain solution to a company to our customers in the next five to seven years. Wow. Yeah.
[00:33:05] So that’s an impressive and ambitious optimistic. Yeah, that’s good. I mean, you’ve got to believe, right? Well, look, the technology exists. Yes. What we need is people like you who can who can adapt it. Yeah. And then people who will adopt it put it together to the use case.
[00:33:23] Yeah, exactly. I think though the interesting thing is. There’s a lot of appetite to bring in new technology. I see a lot of enthusiasm. There’s a there’s a lot. And that the challenge sometimes is. Does the markets do not necessarily always reward people who take those challenges, especially first movers? Yes, especially the first mover. So you just have to hang on. Yeah.
[00:33:53] And you know, that’s a lot of debate. Yeah. Yeah. Even if today’s job market isn’t well, you got forty five of my motorcycle or if you’re a first mover one these spaces in a freefall in a doll, right. Yeah, that’s right. Oh my gosh.
[00:34:09] So do you. So you strike me as someone that folks would love to put an audience in front of you. And do you do many keynotes or panels? I have not, actually. You got to I don’t know if you know. So we tell all kinds of folks. We publish our 300 episode about town. This this thing hits a month or so ago. And you keep it real. Not to be cliche or cheesy, but really. Thank you. You call it like you see it. And I think, you know, we’ve seen a variety of CEOs come on the show. We’ve had we’ve had a great to bat back when you want to wear you down, earth, very genuine, very in this discernment leadership thing was very component, very inherent in his style. And then to see another business leader that really make no bones about it, this is this is what’s taking place. I mean, we need more that I think.
[00:35:02] Well, I think to be to be the kind of leader that that you are, you have to be that matter of fact, you don’t have time to mince words. You have. Yeah. You have to recognize, even if you’re wrong, you have to recognize what you believe and you have to go with what you believe, right? Yeah. That’s how you. That’s only what you can do.
[00:35:20] There’s nothing wrong in accepting you’re wrong. Yeah. Right. I mean not everybody can be right all the day, you know. Why not be a little bit humble abode.
[00:35:29] Gives you go and yes. You learn all you want at 1:45 an hour. Yeah. You would learn a whole lot at that speed. Yeah. You learn a lot more where you’re wrong than you do when you’re right. Absolutely.
[00:35:40] And so I want to I want to. But I want to be right. More times to dance. Yes. It’s OK to be wrong, but it shouldn’t be the goal.
[00:35:49] So we’ve already established where folks can learn more about phoenicks innovations and Griffin rubert tech, right? Yes. One last question. Sure. Because especially when you think of the the organizations, plural, that you’re building out, speak to our audience. What’s what’s one thing. And you put this lot of times I think last time I heard you ask this question, Greg, you said, I’m walking down the hallway in my business. Yeah. And in my brain, I’m thinking about the problems I’m having. Other than the curse words. What what triggers them? The need in me to reach out to meet. What is that? What’s a. Give us a scenario where you’re like, hey, we can help if you’re experiencing ABC.
[00:36:36] Reach out. We can help. So if you’re experiencing data issues in your in your business, if you’re experiencing visibility issues in your business or if you’re if you’re just plain ordered, want to sit down and solution, solution, your problems reach out to us.
[00:36:59] I know that sounds vague and cheesy, but wouldn’t go with cheesy, but we. But we do mean just bluntly speaking. Sorry about that.
[00:37:10] But it would you know, in we we do a lot of innovation as part of what we do. And I don’t say that lightly. We got few patterns in them in the working at the moment. We do a lot of new products. This is my I I didn’t mention this, but I built and I sold my last company in 2016. So I was one of the early guys that built diagnostic software for smartphones when nobody was doing that. And in 2016, AP acquired it and I exited that and started this group. So it’s I think innovation is what you guys if the customers want, then, yeah, they can give us a call.
[00:37:55] Pr I want to wait dot com. Yeah. I think if you’re leaving, if you feel like you’re leaving money on the table with returned goods. Yeah. Give me a call. Perfect. I went to Wacom and Griffin Dot. And again I want to say Agnos SuperPower’s. Yes, that’s my super ego. Yeah. Meet my Zhaan coming to a keynote near you as. We should make sure that that happens. You know, we can make that app. Yes.
[00:38:19] If it needs that, then you really have enjoyed our conversation. Skype for just a second. We’ve been talking with Amit, my John founder and CEO of Phenix Innovations. Griffin Robo Tech, Excalibur Infotech and Ricochet Motors, motorcycles, motorcycles. And what a collection. Good stuff. Really enjoyed it. Greg, that wraps up and a very solid, exceptional day one.
[00:38:44] Yeah, I’m Codex. Yeah, I mean, it just I think it’s just a great example of the kind of skills and gifts, innovation and ambition that we’re seeing. Yeah, right. You know what I’m most thankful about? These were early conversations. What’s that?
[00:38:57] That the huge device over your right shoulder never came through the back of our still active one. I keep on thinking the same thing’s going to happen.
[00:39:04] It feels like a circus ride is going on every once in a while when they start that thing winding around the house. It for wrapping the Saran Wrap. Yes, that’s. We were in Junior. That’s right. Feels like it, does it. But it’s fast. It’s super fabulous, right?
[00:39:19] We’ve got the good guy. The bond folks from Wolf. Wolf Tech. Yeah, they’re Yanick. Who is working over there? He said, look, if it bothers, you will shut it down. I’m thinking we’re good.
[00:39:28] There were a couple of times when I thought I felt brushed my shoulder, but really enjoyed our conversation, not to our audience.
[00:39:36] Be sure to check out our events webinar tab at supply chain. Now radio dot com, a variety of things. If you like what you heard here with Amit, you’re going to love checking out our library of interviews, some of our upcoming events, you name it. Got some great bands teed up with E.M.T. reuters’ events, the Automotive Industry Action Group, the George Logistics Summit and much, much more. Point. A point. Well, were we out ahead of our skis? Are we can say we have an event with we love or we love collaborating with the fine folks at point A the innovation, the Supply chain Innovation Center right here, I’m Supply chain City. You can learn all about all of that stuff at Supply Chain Now Radio dot com. If there’s something that you do not see that we’ve talked about. Shootist Note to Amanda at Supply Chain Now Radio dot com. Big thanks to our guest here today on this latest episode coming to you live from Moto X here in Supply chain City, Amit Mahajan, founder and CEO of Phenix Innovations, Griffin Robo Tech, Excalibur Infotech Ricochet Motorcycle Motorcycles. Be sure to check out other upcoming events. Past interviews, other resources at Supply Chain Now Radio dot com. Find us and subscribe wherever you get your podcast from, including YouTube. And on behalf of the entire team here. Scott Luton. Wishing you a wonderif week ahead. We will see you next time. Owen Supply Chain Now, thanks everyone.
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Watch Scott and Greg as they welcome Amit Mahajan to the Supply Chain Now booth at MODEX 2020.
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Amit Mahajan serves as Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Innovations LLC. He has been active in IT industry for last 21 years and has been the driving force behind various large size designs, deliveries & implementations in USA and across the globe. Amit was the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Xcaliber Technologies LLC based out of Atlanta, Georgia in the United states for 7 years which was a venture funded corporation. Xcaliber Technologies had offices in United State and India. He is the inventor and the brain behind the SmartChk Diagnostics solution. SmartChk has been globally implemented in the United States, Europe, China & India. Blancco Technology Group acquired Xcaliber Technologies LLC and SmartChk product portfolio in March 2016 for an undisclosed amount. Before founding Xcaliber Group which includes Xcaliber Infotech, he held senior leadership roles within multiple Fortune 500 companies, wherein he played responsible role of Chief Architect and Director to name a few. His varied experience, understanding of the solution journey from discovery of problem or need to improvise to reality of having a working solution has been a tremendous asset for Xcaliber in all our initiatives and offerings to customers. His understanding of the complex user experiences of mobile-first consumers and his problem-solving approach has been a driving force. Touted as an “engineer of the future” Amit constantly raises the bar on what it takes to meet society’s growing and demanding mobile needs. Amit is a motorcycle enthusiast. When he is not dreaming up innovative products he is either spending time with his son on Lego Robotics or riding his Ducati XDiavel S in mountains of Georgia.
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