C&S will transform its supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply to build a new operations platform on Google Cloud in an initiative to reduce the Keene, NH wholesaler’s carbon footprint and enhance the customer experience.
C&S will be working with Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) to unify its current systems into one cloud-based operations platform, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to monitor traffic patterns and identify optimal distribution routes, thereby reducing food waste and achieving greater fuel efficiency. TCS is based in Mumbai, India with U.S. offices in New York. It was founded in 1968. The company, part of the Tata group, is one of India’s largest multi-national businesses and operates in 55 countries.
“With more than 104 years in the rapidly changing grocery industry, the foundation of C&S’s success has been our ability to adapt and innovate ahead of market trends to better serve our customers. It’s this legacy that drives our unrelenting focus on innovative go-to-market strategies and customer service,” said C&S CEO Bob Palmer. “We like to challenge the status quo and need partners who can do the same. Both TCS and Google Cloud are making it possible to implement a platform that supports our operational sustainability goals to ensure a healthy planet now and for future generations.”
C&S said the new platform will enable the company to streamline operations by providing the infrastructure flexibility to support its sustainability initiatives and growth strategy. TCS’s role will be to help reduce the distributor’s carbon footprint by migrating its data center workloads to Google Cloud’s carbon-neutral infrastructure. The project actually began in May of this year and the core transformation is expected to be completed in December 2023.
“We see the cloud as a strategic advantage to accelerate C&S’s digital transformation. It will provide us access to newer technologies and capabilities that will help in meeting our business objectives as well as drive innovation and growth. In partnership with TCS, we did a detailed assessment of the current state of technology and built a roadmap that helps C&S Wholesale Grocers to complete its full-scale migration from on-premises to the cloud,” said Sudhakar Lingineni, C&S’ chief information officer. “We had already started to leverage the capabilities of the Google cloud for customer portals and OCI for Oracle. The goal is to have everything transitioned out of our data centers to the cloud. There will be a few applications that will be hosted in a co-location facility as we modernize them or we look for an alternate application that is cloud-ready. The project also involves transitioning our data warehouse to Big Query. Big Query, AI, and ML will help tackle the large and complex data challenges unique to our business.”
Amit Bajaj, president of TCS North America, noted, “The TCS-designed platform will enable more predictable deliveries, especially during seasonal peaks, helping distributors and retailers better manage their inventory while ensuring that the products most in demand are supplied on-time. Additionally, the solution helps support C&S’s sustainability goals of reducing food waste and carbon emissions.”
C&S said the new platform also stands to help the privately-held wholesaler provide best-in-class tools and capabilities for its employees by bringing self-service solutions to IT and customer service touchpoints. The deployment is also expected to bring the scalability needed to drive long-term business growth.
Kirsten Kliphouse, president of the Americas for Google Cloud added: “Through its work with Google Cloud and TCS, C&S will apply innovative technologies like AI, ML, and data analytics to modernize its extensive distribution network and operations, while running its business on the cleanest cloud in the industry. We’re proud to partner with C&S and TCS to help address important business challenges that lessen food waste and enable more eco-friendly operations.”
C&S Wholesale Grocers currently supplies more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions across the U.S.