Case study
UST helped UK-based food services leader streamline operations with automated inventory management solution
OUR CLIENT
This UK-based food services company has an annual turnover of £25 billion and locations in more than 120 countries. With more than 500,000 employees, the company provides dining services in offices, schools, hospitals, correctional facilities, cultural venues, and other commercial locations. The current solution using the UST Product Box was used only for the company's North American operations.
THE CHALLENGE
Cumbersome inventory processes created inefficiencies, lost sales, and irritated customers
The procurement and merchandising teams and store managers struggled with many operational issues that distracted employees from strategic tasks. The client needed an experienced technology partner to streamline, automate, and accelerate inventory management processes. The challenges included:
- Time-consuming procedures—due to repetitive, inefficient, and resource-intensive tasks, such as complex SKU uploads and manual image capture of products
- Long lead times to onboard new products—because of complex, cumbersome processes
- Missing product information—which led to buyer confusion and abandoned sales
- Disorganized inventory—because of haphazard processes, leading to misplaced products and lost sales
- Complex supplier information—from differing data formats that made data collection and analysis tedious and difficult
- Human errors—from manual data integration processes and tasks
THE TRANSFORMATION
Robust solution transformed product management and merchandising
UST implemented a robust technology solution that seamlessly integrated with the client's backend systems to simplify and optimize merchandising processes and increase employee productivity and data insights. The solution:
- Automated processes to add products to inventory—Using a 360-degree rotating tray and a built-in barcode scanner, the system automatically captures complete images and videos of items, accurately extracts product details, such as weight and dimensions, and assigns SKUs.
- Streamlined product data management—SKUs and item details are automatically uploaded to a Microsoft Azure Cloud database. The secure, scalable solution makes data accessible and easy to extract.
- Enhanced inventory management—Because the system provides 3D product data, store managers and merchandisers can strategically manage supply chain logistics and optimize item storage.
- Increased quality control—Employees can view training videos about proper product handling procedures.
- Improved forecast and resource allocation—Since product attributes are accurately extracted from item images, procurement, merchandising, and store managers can generate better forecasts and allocate resources more efficiently.
THE IMPACT
Merchandising solution led to enterprise-wide improvements
The comprehensive merchandising and inventory management solution helped the company improve:
- Financials—with increased revenue, decreased operational costs, and more accurate forecasts
- Productivity—with streamlined, automated processes that improved employee morale and enabled people to focus on strategic initiatives
- Customer satisfaction and retention rates—thanks to enhanced product discovery and availability
- Strategic insights—with more accurate data analytics that improve decision-making and help identify opportunities for growth and optimization
- Competitive advantages—with technology-driven capabilities that can adapt to market changes and customer preferences