With post-Covid tailwinds in rural markets, the partnership will cater to the rapidly growing consumption in India’s villages by delivering better quality consumer experience
Mumbai, December 23, 2020: Mahindra Logistics Ltd. (MLL), one of India’s leading third-party logistics (3PL) solutions providers, recently signed an MoU with 1Bridge, a Bengaluru-based social enterprise and one of India’s largest village commerce networks, to work together on last-mile delivery & distribution of products in rural India.
While Mahindra Logistics specializes in supply chain management and serves customers across various industries including Consumer Goods and E-commerce across India, 1Bridge is a bridge that connects the supply side of the value chain, i.e., industry stakeholders within the Consumer Goods, E-commerce, Fintech, etc. to the demand side of the chain – i.e., the rural consumer at the village level through its village entrepreneurs and a technology platform.
Signing this significant partnership with 1Bridge, Rampraveen Swaminathan, MD & CEO, Mahindra Logistics, said, “This collaboration will complement MLL’s logistical expertise, pan-India network and a wide customer base with 1Bridge’s deep presence across villages in rural India through its network of local business associates and district-level stations. We look forward to working collaboratively towards a strengthened supply chain network in rural India.”
Madan Padaki, CEO, 1Bridge, said “We are delighted to partner with a leader like Mahindra Logistics, as this will enable a start-up like us to learn faster and deliver better consumer experience to the village consumers.”
So far, 1Bridge has its operations spread across 6000+ villages across 65 districts in 6 states in India, viz. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu and Odisha. Through its strong village network of 6,000+ local entrepreneurs, known as 1Bridge Advisors, who advise and execute various transactions like product origination, digital services and local deliveries to their local communities – 1Bridge has enabled 25M+ deliveries to the doorsteps of local consumers and over 5M+ digital transactions. This model has also substantially facilitated rural employment & income generation resulting in substantial earnings for these local entrepreneurs.
To begin this partnership, Mahindra Logistics and 1Bridge have begun pilot projects in Karnataka, Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu on deliveries of consumer/home appliances and groceries. Over the next 3 years, the partners intend to build an efficient last-mile delivery capability covering over 100,000 villages in India.
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About Mahindra Logistics Limited:
Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL) is an integrated third-party logistics (3PL) service provider, specializing in supply chain management and enterprise mobility (people transport solutions). Founded more than a decade ago, MLL serves over 400+ corporate customers across various industries like Automobile, Engineering, Consumer Goods and E-commerce. The Company pursues an “asset-light” business model, providing customised and technology enabled solutions that span across the supply chain and people transport operations. MLL is part of the newly created Mobility Services Sector of the Mahindra Group.
For more information, visit www.mahindralogistics.com
About 1Bridge:
1Bridge is village commerce network for products & digital services that bridges access, choice & convenience gaps for rural consumers; a shared sales, financing & delivery network for their corporate partners – enabled through a network of village entrepreneurs (1Bridge Advisors or 1BAs) operating on our assisted commerce technology platform. These 1BAs provide their village communities with various digital services (mobile recharges, bill payments, cash withdrawals, nano-credit, insurances, savings, etc.) and aspirational products catalogs (mobiles, consumer durables, FMCG products) right at their doorstep on a technology platform that seamlessly integrates delivery, financial transactions and order aggregation. Through 1Bridge, our entrepreneurs generate additional earnings in their own villages, enabling them to double their incomes. Currently, 1Bridge has a strong and growing network of 6000+ 1BAs in 6000 villages across 65+ rural districts of Karnataka, Maharashtra, AP, Telangana, Tamil Nadu & Orissa.
