Australian supermarket chain Coles has made an agreement with Relex Solutions to use a cloud-based AI platform to change the way it replenishes its fresh produce stock across more than 850 supermarkets all over the nation.
The platform will be integrated with the company's existing in-house analytics forecasting solution and be used to improve stock order forecasts by factoring in past purchases, weather, and local community events, as well as automating replenishment processes and reducing food waste.
The new system will be introduced in its supermarkets nationally and seven fresh product distribution centers.
"Fresh produce presents many unique challenges compared to other parts of the grocery business: Shorter shelf life, seasonality, price elasticity, along with the diverse and complex growing seasons and regions we are challenged with in Australia," Coles central operations and transformation executive general manager Kevin Gunn told zdnet.com.
"Using the Relex solution to centralise the control of the replenishment model allows Coles to provide increased efficiency in one of our most complex supply chains and improve the customer experience through more targeted ranges, improved availability, fresher products, and simpler processes for our team members and our suppliers. The centralised ordering of fresh produce will also help to reduce waste on our existing range and minimise waste on new ranges."