Prologis headquarters in San Francisco
Prologis, the world’s largest logistics actual property firm, performs a pivotal function in international provide chains. With 1.2 billion sq. toes of actual property spanning 20 nations and $220 billion in belongings underneath administration, the corporate serves a various vary of consumers, from main retailers to third-party logistics suppliers. Prologis’ Chief Know-how Officer Sineesh Keshav has led the corporate’s digital transformation since becoming a member of in 2018 and has been a catalyst for exceptional firm progress throughout that point horizon.
Driving Innovation in a Quickly Increasing Enterprise
Since Keshav’s arrival, Prologis has grown from 750 million to 1.2 billion sq. toes of managed actual property whereas growing its workforce from 1,600 to 2,500 staff. All through this progress, the corporate has maintained a tradition of innovation. “We have been comfortably positioned in our trade because the undisputed chief,” Keshav famous with pleasure. “That mentioned, there was a continuing want to disrupt ourselves earlier than another person did.”
This proactive strategy has formed Prologis’ expertise technique, guaranteeing that the corporate’s IT infrastructure scales alongside its enterprise growth. “We frequently say we’re a big firm caught in a small firm’s physique,” he added. “We don’t have further layers of forms, which fosters open communication and collaboration.”
Structuring IT for a Reworking Enterprise
When Keshav joined Prologis, he discovered that some components of the enterprise have been nonetheless reliant on legacy programs, together with Excel spreadsheets. “There’s nothing flawed with Excel, however sure components of our enterprise have been operating on antiquated expertise,” he mentioned. “We needed to instill a mindset of change even when it wasn’t damaged as a result of outdated expertise can grow to be a weak hyperlink.”
To handle these challenges, Prologis restructured its IT group, guaranteeing each key enterprise operate had devoted expertise assist. “It’s not nearly who’s the loudest,” Keshav famous. “Each key functionality ought to have the power to innovate.” This transformation additionally included the formation of an enterprise excellence crew centered on optimizing processes. “Don’t automate damaged processes,” he emphasised. “Take the time to get them proper first.”
Increasing Past Actual Property
Whereas Prologis stays an actual property large, its enterprise has developed considerably in recent times. “We’re not only a actual property firm,” Keshav mentioned. “We’re creating new companies in provide chain options, vitality and sustainability.” Notably, Prologis is now the second-largest photo voltaic vitality producer within the U.S. and has bold objectives, together with reaching one gigawatt of photo voltaic capability by the top of the last decade. “Know-how performs an enormous function in attaining our sustainability objectives,” he added.
Prologis CTO Sineesh Keshav
One other main space of growth is the information middle enterprise, which Keshav sees as a pure extension of Prologis’ experience. “Now we have a novel alternative to make our mark within the knowledge middle trade,” he mentioned. “Our means to combine vitality knowledge with our actual property knowledge offers us a aggressive benefit.”
The Function of AI and Information in Prologis’ Future
A robust knowledge basis has been vital to Prologis’ success, enabling superior analytics, enterprise intelligence and AI-driven decision-making. “For AI to be efficient, you want a sturdy knowledge basis,” Keshav defined. “With the rise of generative AI, many firms struggled with the place to place their proprietary knowledge. Our problem was smaller as a result of we had already constructed a robust knowledge infrastructure.”
Prologis has embraced AI to enhance operational effectivity and improve decision-making. “What’s a differentiator right now can grow to be a commodity in three months, however the learnings final for much longer,” Keshav mentioned. In 2025, he expects AI-driven automation to grow to be much more embedded in enterprise processes. “Agentic AI will facilitate exceptional innovation,” he predicted.
Getting ready for the Subsequent Chapter
Trying forward, Prologis is refining its IT technique to assist its evolving enterprise traces. “The important thing focus for the following three years is guaranteeing the success of our new companies,” Keshav mentioned. “We’ve needed to introduce solely new programs, and 2025 will probably be a key yr for accelerating these efforts.”
Peter Excessive is President of Metis Strategy, a enterprise and IT advisory agency. He has written three bestselling books, together with his newest Getting to Nimble. He additionally moderates the Technovation podcast collection and speaks at conferences all over the world. Observe him on Twitter @PeterAHigh.
