Supply chain and retail planning solutions provider, Relex Solutions, has been selected by Woolworths Group to implement its Relex Replenishment solution in all the grocery retailer’s distribution centres, as well as across 1400 stores in Australia and New Zealand.
The automatic replenishment system technology supports businesses to automate and optimise routine replenishment and inventory allocation tasks, with Relex stating it uses artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce food waste by up to 40 per cent, and cut store shelving time by up to 20 per cent.
Relex general manager consumer goods and production business unit and senior vice president of sales EMEA & APAC, Stefano Scandelli, said the company was proud to partner with Woolworths Group in supporting and modernising its replenishment capabilities.
“Our platform can handle even the largest data sets overnight, streamlining operations and providing cross-company visibility into inventory and sales,” said Scandelli.
Woolworths has more than 20 distribution centres around the country, used to supply groceries to their supermarkets. It opened its first fully automated distribution centre in 2019, located in Dandenong, Melbourne.
The company shared what had been learnt from the facility over five years of operation at Australasia's Processing and Packaging Expo (APPEX) in March 2024, as it continues to work towards opening a new automated warehouse in Moorebank, Sydney.
Woolworths director of group replenishment, Justin Henderson, said the company had identified this as an opportunity to modernise its existing replenishment platform to maximise product availability for customers, optimise costs, and forge stronger supplier collaboration.
“By partnering with Relex we expect to see improved visibility across the Group which will ensure that our team and partners can focus their time building greater consistency with their supply and demand plans across our businesses,” said Henderson.
“This will ultimately help improve product availability for customers in store and online.”
