CHEFS CULINAR Enhances Deliveries | Case Study
“Customers today expect to have the capabilities to process orders digitally, reliably and quickly – they count on suppliers to demonstrate traceability, transparency, and to offer sustainable solutions as they deliver goods. Descartes’ technology enables us to meet these requirements...”
Dr. Frank Scholz, Group CIO at CITTI Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
Driven miles and operation costs Reduced
Delivery times and density Improved
About CHEFS CULINAR
The CHEFS CULINAR GmbH & Co. KG is a successful family-owned company with around 10,000 employees. For over 100 years, the company has stood for professional service and genuine partnership in the wholesale delivery of food and non-food products.
As an industry leader with nine branches in Germany and 23 bases, as well as other locations in Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands and Austria, CHEFS CULINAR reliably supplies partners in the restaurant, hotel and catering industries every day. With a field service team of 400 employees, a fleet of over 1,300 cars and more than 1,800 Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), the company ensures continuous operations and first-class customer care. Learn more about Chefs Culinar.
The Challenge
“CHEFS CULINAR has been delivering food products for over 100 years. In that time our product range has expanded, along with our reach across Europe. As part of that success, punctual deliveries to our customers continues to form a core component of our service promise,”
Says Dr. Frank Scholz, Group CIO at CITTI Handelsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, the parent company of CHEFS CULINAR.
“Customers today expect to have the capabilities to process orders digitally, reliably and quickly – they count on suppliers to demonstrate traceability, transparency, and to offer sustainable solutions as they deliver goods. Descartes’ technology enables us to meet these requirements, despite how complex supply chains are becoming more global, while order and delivery demands become ever more personalised and dynamic. What is more, enhancements to our operations are having a positive knock-on effect to our own sustainability goals, as we have improved our carbon footprint.”
The Solution
CHEFS CULINAR, is using Descartes’ last-mile delivery solution to enhance the last-mile delivery operations to its customers. The Descartes route planning technology allows CHEF CULINAR’s route planners to automate and optimise the route planning associated with deliveries, to support meeting on-time delivery commitments to customers. This includes optimising regular fixed deliveries for clients and managing any ad-hoc deliveries that may be required.
For CHEFS CULINAR this resulted a reduction in total mileage and delivery times; improvements in delivery density; and savings in time, fuel and costs associated with deliveries, both from a planning and execution perspective.
How This is Achieved
The Descartes' cloud-based last-mile delivery solution has been integrated into CHEFS CULINAR’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and vehicle telematics systems. Descartes’ technology allows distribution-intensive companies to improve operational efficiency and customer experience. It supports standard and dynamic delivery requirements; including same-day delivery, by offering flexible, efficient and cost-effective time windows and delivery options.
The Descartes solution improves route productivity by using advanced AI-led optimisation technology to reduce the distance driven per delivery, which maximises delivery capacity and reduces costs. With an integrated GPS-based mobile application, the solution coordinates drivers, dispatchers and call centres to ensure that routes are executed according to plan, so that exceptions are handled more efficiently. Additionally, the solution improves delivery sustainability, by enhancing route productivity, resulting in less CO2 per delivery.
“It has been immensely rewarding for Descartes to see the impact that our technology has had on CHEFS CULINAR’s delivery operations,” said Peio Ribas, Senior Vice President EMEA at Descartes. “Our last-mile delivery solutions have been designed to help distribution-intensive companies to automate and optimise their delivery operations. So, it’s great to see how our technology is playing a key role in enabling CHEFS CULINAR to continue to deliver goods to its customers on-time and efficiently; while maintaining a great customer service experience, keeping operational costs low, all while meeting its own sustainability commitments.”
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