Argility, Google Cloud taking Loop’s business to the next level

ATG’s Head of IT and Infrastructure, Japie Saunders.
ATG’s Head of IT and Infrastructure, Japie Saunders.

Summary

In any product’s delivery journey from the warehouse to the customer, the last mile is notoriously difficult to get right. It is also the most time-consuming leg of product delivery and the most expensive. Fifty percent of total shipping costs are attributed to the final leg.

About Loop

Loop was founded in 2016 by a young entrepreneur who saw a gap in the market and seized the opportunity to fill it, and thus, the Loop delivery platform was developed. The platform provides real-time tracking and simplifies the lives of businesses, drivers and the end customers. It operates in the retail and wholesale space and is based in South Africa.

The business challenge

Loop is a young, agile and rapidly expanding organisation that recognised a need for the assistance of a highly experienced technology partner with a profound knowledge of the latest global solutions backed by on-the-ground, high-level support. Loop required a solution that facilitated the expansion of its business, process optimisation and a reduction in operating costs. Loop also required the enhancement of its core business through the utilisation of Google Maps Enterprise.

Loop appoints Argility

Loop selected South African technology veteran, Argility – a Google Cloud/Workspace partner – to assist in the formulating of smart decisions about using the right products/solutions for its business and that supported growth into the future.

According to ATG’s Head of IT and Infrastructure, Japie Saunders, the project commenced in June 2023 with first tasks completed by the end of July that year. “We touched on various items like security enhancements in GCP plus Workspace, organisational analysis and implementation of best practice in working with cloud architecture. It is always complex to take over any service from a previous provider or, where the customer has performed the tasks in-house, best practice and security are often overlooked, more than anything because the specific skills required are not available in-house."

ATG, as Loop’s managed services provider, not only in Cloud and Workspace, is continuously supporting the organisation with all its IT requirements.

The result

The most significant outcome thus far has been a decrease in billing expenses, a more efficient and expeditious way of performing tasks and a satisfactory level of security for both the business and the end customer.

Utilising Google Cloud augmented by Argility's expertise, technical IP and experience, Loop’s path to sustainable growth and success is now more accessible and secure than ever before.

Detailed list of solutions successfully implemented:

  • Billing Optimisation
  • IAM – Identity Access Management
  • Compute Engine
  • Cloud Storage
  • APIs & Services
  • Big Query
  • App Engine
  • Cloud Logging
  • Directions API
  • Cloud Functions
  • Google Maps
  • Distance Matrix
  • Cloud SQL
  • Cloud Run
  • GEO Coding
  • Places API
  • Cloud Tasks
  • Cloud PUB/SUB
  • Cloud Build
  • Artifact Registry
  • Cloud Scheduler
  • Networking

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The Argility Technology Group

The Argility Technology Group – a Level 1 B-BBEE organisation, is part of the Data and Technology cluster arm of global enterprise, Smollan.

Argility is a leading innovator and implementer of software and data analytics solutions for retailers and brands. Our unsurpassed experience combined with a depth of proprietary software and skills enables us to address the multitude of challenges facing businesses in today’s era of digital transformation.

Our origins trace back over forty-five years as a major software developer in the retail sector. Decades of long, prosperous customer relationships bear testament to our customer-centric culture, exceptional service, and innovative thinking. From single systems to the digital transformation of an entire organisation - we have the solutions, skills, and experience.

We solve complex business problems by supplying and supporting various customised software solutions including Data Science (Artificial Intelligence); Retail Management Systems; ERP; Warehouse; Fleet; IoT and more. We strive to be more than a technology/solutions provider by partnering with our customers to become an extension of their business resources.

Since 2010, Argility has been a dedicated Google adopter, specialising in Google Cloud, Google Workspace, and Chromebooks. As a Google partner, we are committed to helping businesses harness the full potential of Google’s ecosystem.

The Argility Technology Group is comprised of: Argility; Cquential Solutions; Fleet Domain; and Skydata Communications. All are foremost technology developers and suppliers of enterprise software solutions for the retail, supply chain and fleet industries as well as a comprehensive IoT framework that enables enterprises around the world, to integrate, manage and optimise their growing IoT ecosystems.

For further information: www.argility.com

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