C&S Wholesale taps Tata Consultancy Services to build new operations platform on Google Cloud

Looking to put supply chain pressures at bay, C&S Wholesale Grocers has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services to build a new operations platform on Google Cloud, the New Hampshire-based wholesale grocer said Monday.

An industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the U.S., TCS aims to reimagine C&S’s operations platforms, including customer experience and grocery distribution, while reducing the wholesale grocers’ carbon footprint, C&S said in a statement.

“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 Bob Palmer, CEO of C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., in a statement.  “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.”

“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,” said Amit Bajaj, president of TCS North America, in a statement.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), C&S’s new operations platform will monitor traffic patterns and identify optimal distribution routes, thereby reducing food waste and achieving greater fuel efficiency, the company said.

“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,”  said Kirsten Kliphouse, president of Americas at Google Cloud, in a statement.  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.”

Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S supplies more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 100,000 different products.