Cork based software company to double its workforce this year 

SmartRoutes helps businesses to meet home delivery service demand

Brothers David and Blake Walsh own and run SmartRoutes which helps businesses to plan and manage their delivery operations from start to finish. Picture: Darragh Kane. 

A Cork city based software company, that helps businesses to meet the demands of home delivery service, plans to double its workforce for the second year in a row thanks to the increasing growth in the service it provides.

SmartRoutes - which is run by brothers David and Blake Walsh - helps businesses, regardless of their size, to plan and manage their delivery operations from start to finish.

The company is also planning an expansion of its operations in the UK.

And, the new positions that have come onstream will include roles in business development and software engineering.

SmartRoutes initially started out supporting clients in the Irish market, but has progressed further in the UK over the last few months.

The long-term plan for the company is to establish itself as the leading route planning and optimisation solution in Ireland and 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 company doubled its workforce during 2020 and plans to move into new office space once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

“2020 was a year of phenomenal growth for SmartRoutes,” CEO and Co-founder David Walsh said.

“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.” 

Meanwhile, the company works closely with Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Cork City.

“The Local Enterprise Office has been great at providing support and guidance with the growth of SmartRoutes,” Mr Walsh continued.

“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.” 

Co-founder of SmartRoutes, Blake Walsh added: “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.”