Retail giant Carrefour has announced that it has become the first in France to implement artificial intelligence to its optimise supply chain management processes, and reduce food waste.
The project is a part of the 'Carrefour 2022' transformation plan to meet customer expectations through the introduction of advanced technologies.
The Technology
Carrefour will integrate software developed by advanced analytics leader SAS into its supply chain.
The software, SAS Viya, will collect and process data from stores, warehouses, and e-commerce sites.
Analysis of the data will help the retailer to understand the nature of demand in various outlets, and accordingly arrange for the supply of products – thereby reducing stock outage and overstocking.
Forecasting Strategies
“Artificial intelligence will free up time for our teams to focus on developing differentiated forecasting strategies and best meet our customers’ expectations while reducing waste,” said Franck Noël-Fontana, forecast director at Carrefour France.
SAS Viya will store and processes large volumes of data, and enable Carrefour’s experts to develop tailor-made algorithms to meet their specific needs.
'Efficient Supply Chain'
"Beyond the operational benefits of fluid and efficient supply chain, this project will also improve the Carrefour customer experience," said Boualem Alouache, retail director, SAS France.
The retailer will test the technology for 18 months, before deploying it in various outlets.
SAS and its partner Capgemini will offer Carrefour technological and business expertise throughout the deployment phase.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
