Mahindra Logistics, 1Bridge partner for last-mile delivery in rural India 

December 23, 2020: The third-party logistics (3PL) solutions provider, Mahindra Logistics, 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.

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.

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.

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.