Gurmat Bhatia is recognized for his expertise in cloud-native software, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and real-time data integration. He holds the position of executive director of engineering at Ingram Micro, where his strategic insights and robust engineering expertise greatly enhance the company’s engineering operations and projects. His primary focus lies in identifying scalable solutions that can optimize organizational operations and enhance customer engagement.
Gurmat’s background is centered on key sectors within the technology industry. He has extensive experience in developing global pricing and discount management systems, supply chain order tracking, and autonomous pricing solutions, all utilizing cloud-native architectures and artificial intelligence. His strategy for streamlining complicated business processes prioritizes efficiency in supporting initiatives that cater to a broad audience of customers and vendor integrations.
Utilizing cloud-native and AI technologies for instantaneous solutions
To tackle the complexities of managing order statuses in a rapidly changing distribution environment, Gurmat led a project incorporating cloud technologies and artificial intelligence. The objective was to connect internal and external systems involving manufacturers, carriers, ERPs, warehouses, and B2B middleware. Gurmat noted, “This required real-time integration of systems, and since this functionality is one of the most utilized, we needed a scalable, global solution to deliver real-time tracking information across all channels – Web, API, CRM.” Through implementing microservices within cloud containers, the project enabled horizontal scaling and high availability to manage substantial workloads while maintaining quality.
This effort wasn’t just about connecting systems; it also necessitated the adoption of a real-time data integration strategy. Regarding real-time capabilities, Gurmat explained, “Integrating with carriers and vendors through a pub/sub mechanism provides real-time data on any changes in advance shipment notifications, carrier status updates, delays, and shipment visibility.” This level of integration afforded both customers and associates real-time visibility, significantly boosting operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it enhanced both operation and user experience, as timely delivery of accurate information had previously been hampered by the reliance on multiple external data sources.
Incorporating AI for business achievement
In the distribution sector, order tracking often heavily depends on vendor data for shipment visibility, which can lead to a black box scenario. This situation arises when vendor data is delayed, limiting customer visibility. To counter this, Gurmat initiated a project to train models using feature engineering in machine learning. These models utilize both historical data and pinpointed data elements to deliver estimated time of arrival (ETA) calculations. Consequently, inquiries regarding shipments diminished, enhancing the overall customer experience.
The deployment of these machine learning models proved successful, propelling order status and tracking to become the second most utilized feature on the platform, which processes over 10 million requests monthly worldwide. Reflecting on this success, Gurmat remarked, “This has significantly lessened customer inquiries about their shipments and has improved the overall customer experience.” This demonstrates how AI can elevate operational outcomes by ensuring accurate and timely shipment visibility as part of the solutions provided by his team.
Innovating real-time pricing
Special discounts from vendors pose another challenge due to a lack of standardization. Gurmat stated, “There are numerous variables influenced by vendors, product lines, relationships among different products, and the methods by which vendors communicate data.” This inconsistency often resulted in multiple manual tasks, such as translating vendor data into distributor formats, establishing discounts, managing SKUs in ERPs, and manually generating customer quotes. Such manual processes can hinder operations and negatively affect customer service.
To mitigate these challenges, Gurmat’s team devised a solution that engages with vendors in real-time through various communication methods like emails, PDFs, APIs, and EDI/FTPs. “This triggers real-time calculations for pricing margins and discounts based on over 20 data variables, resulting in millions of pricing rule combinations,” Gurmat explained. The capability for real-time calculations allows for quotes to be generated in under a minute, enabling customers to access them through the company’s web platforms and email, a significant improvement compared to the previous process which took as long as 72 hours. This automation streamlined pricing and ordering processes, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Ensuring scalability and dependability in software design
For Gurmat, “security, scalability, reliability, and maintainability are fundamental” when it comes to developing scalable and robust software solutions for extensive operations. The focus on scalability involves anticipating project growth during subsequent iterations, conducting load testing pre-iteration, and evaluating results according to predetermined response time metrics. Load balancing also plays a role in Gurmat’s methodology; the use of containers ensures the system can accommodate increasing loads without losing speed.
Reliability is achieved through comprehensive backups at all layers: web applications, databases, and storage. “Implement backup and disaster recovery strategies to protect against potential failures,” Gurmat recommends. The technologies utilized in these solutions are fundamentally cloud-based, providing them with the scalability and reliability of an enterprise-level system. For instance, the order status tracking system and the autonomous pricing software collectively handle approximately 10 million API calls monthly and over 10 million pricing requests each day, underscoring their scalability and efficiency.
Addressing technological challenges through innovation
According to Gurmat, the most pressing issue in digital transformation isn’t the technology itself, but rather the adoption and integration of digital tools into business processes and change management. He posits, “In any digital transformation journey, we should begin with the business processes and then apply technology to address the challenges.” His strategy entails analyzing the problem holistically, taking a systemic perspective, and initiating improvements in business workflows.
Gurmat employs a design thinking approach in formulating solutions to business obstacles; it outlines a technical solution map along with a flexible implementation roadmap. This methodology encompasses prototyping cycles and allows for rapid failure, followed by enhancements in subsequent iterations. “Begin with optimizing business processes, then leverage design thinking to tackle the business problem, resulting in a comprehensive technical strategy and an agile delivery plan,” he explains. This framework has been successfully employed in both the order status tracking and autonomous pricing endeavors, demonstrating how innovative problem-solving can effectively tackle technological issues.
Collaborative efforts across functions for successful projects
The development of the pricing solution exemplifies the necessity of cross-functional collaboration and its critical role in business success. Gurmat pointed out that integrating various departments such as sales, finance, and vendor relations is crucial as it directly affects procurement and the sales cycle.
From a technological standpoint, the project encompassed integrating ERP, CRM, web platforms, backend applications, EDI, middleware, data, DevOps, infrastructure, and security teams. Gurmat emphasized the intricacies involved in this integration, remarking, “When a vendor transmits special discounts, these must flow seamlessly from the pricing system to all associated upstream and downstream systems, including ERP, CRM, finance applications, and web platforms.”
Such extensive collaboration mitigated compatibility and performance issues across all systems, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in successfully implementing innovative solutions.
Keeping abreast of emerging tech trends
To ensure that the solutions he develops remain pertinent and effective, Gurmat actively explores various resources to stay updated on technological advancements. He participates in tech groups and engages with articles and research papers focusing on technology.
Additionally, Gurmat takes part in technology conferences and enrolls in online courses and projects offered by prestigious institutions like MIT, such as Designing and Building AI Products and Services and Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy. These educational experiences impart vital insights into the latest technologies. He also harnesses open-source technologies to create prototypes, identifying new trends for his initiatives. This forward-thinking approach ensures that his solutions are as innovative as possible and consistently address industry requirements.
Gurmat’s narrative is inspiring, illustrating how technological solutions can transform organizations. He has effectively met diverse business challenges by aligning strategic vision with an understanding of innovations, thereby enhancing customer experiences and business results. This is the reason such leaders are poised to remain at the forefront of the industry, contributing to the development of cutting-edge technologies in the future.
