Grocery Fulfilment
Trusted Solutions for Grocery Warehouse and Fulfilment Centre Automation
With the massive disruption in the grocery industry, it is important to remember that there are constants: intense competition, razor-thin margins, acute labour shortages.
So what are your best options for managing the constants while taking on the change? Whether you are a supply chain professional, a distribution centre manager, or vice-president of operations, you need to look for an advantage. You need to use what you already know. You need a solution you can trust.
Are rapid changes in grocery order fulfilment hurting your business?
- Off-Price Movement: Continual broadening of off-price movement such as the growth of dollar stores. For example, in the USA, 46% of store expansions has been driven by Dollar General and Dollar Tree.
- Individualisation/Personalisation: A parallel challenge to Off Price-Movement as market fragmentation continues. This trend broadens SKU complexity, leading to packaging in smaller units of measure for store replenishment.
What are some successful grocery fulfilment strategies?
Examine the trends that apply to your situation and consider the available resources that can help you achieve success. Ask yourself questions like:
Technology, speed, quality, and convenience are the main factors that contribute to a seamless consumer experience. There are plenty of technology options to choose from. Micro-fulfilment centres (MFCs), standalone dark stores, and automated mixed case palletising can all help address the last mile delivery and click-and-collect pickup challenges currently sapping your profits.
Grocers are increasingly looking to automation to not only solve immediate challenges, but to also overcome future roadblocks. When selected and implemented properly — and supported by a trusted partner — automation helps grocers effectively tackle both current and future issues.
Many developments in the grocery fulfilment industry predate the pandemic— for example, the popularity of meal kits that deliver fresh ingredients to consumer doorsteps. These kits depend on careful processing and handling of fresh and frozen ingredients. The wide variety of temperature-controlled foods that the grocery supply chain must accommodate will only continue to grow.
Grocery fulfilment automation solutions to consider for your business
Dematic grocery fulfilment solutions help you tackle current challenges and plan for future challenges. These solutions include:
Unprecedented times call for innovative solutions. Warehouses and distribution centres are facing end-to-end issues that affect all aspects of the business. Our grocery automation solutions address these challenges and help improve key areas of focus including the supply chain, logistics, the in-store shopping experience, and online grocery orders.
Top Challenges Facing the Grocery Industry
Grocers seek simplicity in dealing with challenges including:
- Order accuracy and SKU proliferation — existing and new products continue to grow
- Meeting large and immediate in-store and online order fulfilment demands
- Limited labour leading to scarcity, high turnover, and increased costs
- Maintaining display quality and preventing damaged products
- Lean supply chain — smaller and more frequent deliveries
- Streamlined last mile delivery and distribution operations
Common types of products used by grocers
What criteria should you use when evaluating a grocery fulfilment automation partner?
Automation can help grocers gain a competitive edge. But with all that goes into automation implementing and managing automation projects, it is critical to select the right supplier — one that will be a trusted partner throughout the entire process.
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