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Overview
Recently, ARC Advisory Group conducted an in-depth interview with Liu Bin, founder and CEO of Deep Insights. In this information-rich conversation, Liu reviewed the full evolution of Deep Insights (formed through the merger of Quantum Asia and GILLION), from integration to restructuring. He also outlined his perspectives on the SaaS model, his pragmatic understanding of AI’s real value, and the company’s overseas strategy—shifting from “passive following” to “active advancement.” What he described is not a shortcut or trend-driven playbook, but a difficult yet inevitable long-term path within China’s complex enterprise services market.
Liu Bin, Founder and CEO of Deep Insights
I. Strategic Integration: Not “1+1=2,” but Genetic Recombination
The merger of Quantum Asia and GILLION was one of China’s most notable supply chain software events in 2023. Yet in Liu Bin’s view, this was never about scale expansion.
“We aim to achieve a strategic-level restructuring,” he emphasized.
The core of the merger lies in capability recombination:
Quantum Asia contributed SaaS expertise, cloud-native architecture, and a reusable product ecosystem.
GILLION brought deep industry knowledge, experience serving large enterprises, and strong capabilities for complex project delivery.
“The integration of these two capability chains has laid a solid foundation for us to build an AI-driven end-to-end supply chain platform,” Liu said.
After the merger, Deep Insights made three tightly aligned decisions:
Unified product roadmap:
A complete product matrix covering WMS, TMS, freight forwarding, shipping, and container management, enabling an end-to-end supply chain collaboration platform rather than isolated tools.
Unified AI strategy:
A phased development path progressing from “AI-enhanced” (optimizing existing functions) to “AI-native” (reshaping product design), and ultimately an “AI ecosystem.”
Unified delivery system:
An “AI-enhanced delivery” model using AI to improve implementation efficiency and standardization, supporting large-scale expansion.
“Our goal is not just a system that’s easy to use, but a platform that understands business and data—and can optimize itself.”
II. Breaking Through in SaaS: Two Key Decisions — “Serving Large Clients” and “Supporting Customization”
“SaaS has encountered challenges in China, but the business model itself is sound.”
When asked why Deep Insights continues adhering to SaaS despite widespread demand for customization, Liu Bin’s response was firm. His conviction comes from more than a decade of experience navigating China’s supply chain software sector.
Many SaaS companies struggle with complex requirements from large enterprises and question whether SaaS can succeed in China. Why can Deep Insights stay committed—and make it a core differentiator? Liu highlighted two breakthrough decisions.
1. Choosing the right customers
“Initially, we thought SaaS was for SMEs, and large enterprises would never use it.”
Between 2016 and 2017, the company built a SaaS product for SMEs, but the market quickly proved the model unworkable for that segment.
“We realized after six months it wasn’t going to work. Doing SaaS for SMEs in China is extremely difficult unless you target C-end customers.”
Liu then made a pivotal decision:
“Our SaaS should serve the same large clients we had served with software before.”
This shifted Deep Insights toward clients with stronger budgets and digital transformation needs, laying the foundation for long-term SaaS viability.
2. Supporting customization without abandoning SaaS principles
Serving large enterprises inevitably brings customization demands. Rejecting them means losing clients; fully embracing them undermines SaaS.
Deep Insights developed a hybrid model: “SaaS that supports customization.”
“Each large client receives a ‘customization package’ on our multi-tenant public cloud architecture,” Liu explained. “We iterate the main version every two weeks, while client-specific needs are isolated in independent packages. Clients can therefore retain their custom features and choose whether to upgrade.”
This model creates a “private compartment” for each enterprise on a standardized high-speed platform—balancing rapid iteration with personalized business needs.
III. AI Positioning: Evolution, Not Subversion
Liu Bin approaches AI with calm pragmatism. He sees AI not as a disruptor of SaaS, but as its natural evolution.
“The core of SaaS is standardized processes, while the core of AI is data-driven intelligence.”
The two differ in starting points but are not contradictory. Liu also emphasized that SaaS has accumulated years of desensitized data—“the best fuel for AI.”
AI is also reshaping how software is built.
“Since early this year, we’ve been transforming our development processes with AI. Our goal is that next year, over 60 percent of work will be done by AI, with humans verifying the remainder.”
He positioned this evolution clearly:
“We started with standalone software, moved to internet-based software, and later transitioned to SaaS. The shift from SaaS to AI is simply the next evolution.”
IV. Strategic Upgrade in Overseas Expansion: From “Riding on Others’ Ships” to “Building Our Own Vessels”
Deep Insights’ future direction is unmistakably global.
“In the past, our overseas expansion followed Chinese enterprises going abroad,” Liu noted. “Starting this year, we will proactively expand into overseas markets.”
He recently led teams to Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Singapore.
“We will adopt a dual-track approach: deepening service for Chinese enterprises overseas, while actively promoting our supply chain cloud, AI, and localized products to regional markets.”
Conclusion: The Inevitable Path for Long-Termists
Throughout the interview, Liu Bin exemplified long-term thinking—fully aware of the challenges in China’s SaaS landscape but unwavering in his belief in its value and direction.
With its strategy of “SaaS as the foundation, industrialization as the accelerator, and AI as the engine,” Deep Insights is working to carve out a future in China’s enterprise services market that rewards patience, resilience, and vision.