Irish firm helping businesses to meet the demands of consumers for home-delivery with delivery route planning solution
An Irish software company plans to double its workforce for the second year in a row to meet the demand for its service. SmartRoutes helps businesses of all sizes plan and manage their delivery operations from start to finish. The new positions will be across a range of business development and software engineering roles. The company also has plans to expand its operations in the UK.
Last year was an unprecedented one for SmartRoutes with the need for eCommerce and home-delivery services driving demand for route planning and optimisation solutions. The Cork-city based company doubled its workforce during 2020 and expects staff numbers to double again in 2021. Revenue at the company also grew five-fold last year. SmartRoutes plan to move to a new office space once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
SmartRoutes initially started out supporting clients in the Irish market, but over the past few months has made progress in the UK market. Over the coming years, it aims to establish itself as the leading route planning and optimisation solution in Ireland and the UK.
The demand for home-delivery services soared last year with consumers opting to shop online. Store closures, social distancing and working-from-home meant that having goods delivered direct to consumers became the norm. SmartRoutes helped businesses across a wide range of industries to capitalise on this demand and grow their businesses.
CEO and Co-founder of SmartRoutes, David Walsh said: “2020 was a year of phenomenal growth for SmartRoutes. It was amazing to see all the different types of businesses that benefited from using our platform. Whether they were looking to reduce their distribution costs, reduce their carbon footprint or get greater control and insight over their delivery operations – SmartRoutes was able to provide them with a solution. This has given us great confidence to grow our company and we have aggressive plans to tackle international markets next year.”
Co-founder of SmartRoutes, Blake Walsh said: “It’s great to be in a position to create employment in Cork and we’re hopeful SmartRoutes will continue to grow year on year. The last few years we have been about understanding the market and building the SmartRoutes platform. We are now in a position to focus heavily on growth by bringing more and more clients onto the platform.”
SmartRoutes works closely with the Local Enterprise Office Cork City. Blake Walsh said: “The Local Enterprise Office has been great at providing support and guidance with the growth of SmartRoutes. They have worked with and advised many start-ups over the years and were able to help us to avoid any pitfalls. Personally, LEO has helped us grow our network in Cork which allows us to see what other companies are doing and learn from each other.”