European supermarket giant Carrefour has opened a new Belgian distribution centre to support its growing ecommerce activities and is using voice picking to help it speed through up to 5000 orders per day.
Carrefour Belgium operates 40 hypermarkets, more than 440 supermarkets, about 300 local smaller shops and more than 200 pick-up points. The recently opened distribution centre in Willebroek centralises all deliveries for Belgium, as well as to address its growing ecommerce business.
Using a ZetesMedea Voice solution, Carrefour pickers can pick items from their shelves in a fast and efficient way, expediting orders for maximum customer satisfaction, says the retailer. In conjunction with ZetesMedea software, Carrefour opted to equip its operators with a Zebra TC57 device, combined with a RS5100 ring scanner. This enabled them to efficiently manage a common estate of devices that can be used by both their operators and drivers, including a phone connection.
Pickers are dispersed around the warehouse in zones picking onto a conveyor belt which runs to the outbound shipping docks. Thanks to the voice solution they can now work completely hands free which greatly optimises their mobility.
Zetes has long been a partner and advisor to Carrefour, having proven its capabilities throughout previous voice picking implementations and support contracts throughout its European operations. For the Willebroek operation, speed of implementation was a key factor. Indeed, from first conversation to implementation, ZetesMedea Voice was implemented in just four months, with the distribution centre now processing up to 5,000 orders a day.
“Zetes was able to move very quickly with clear knowledge of their business. Also their expertise in warehousing and logistics processes enabled us to collaborate as an integrated team,” comments Christophe Stemberger, Digital & E-commerce Program Manager Carrefour Belgium.
