C&S wholesale grocers partners with TCS to build AI-powered distribution model

Tata Consultancy Services to Build a New Platform on Google Cloud to Enable Faster, More Predictable and Sustainable Distribution

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK | MUMBAI, September 12, 2022: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS) has been chosen by C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (C&S), an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the United States, to build a new operations platform on Google Cloud to reduce the company’s carbon footprint and enhance the customer experience.

C&S has partnered with TCS to reimagine its operations platforms, including customer experience and grocery distribution. TCS will lead the company-wide project and help C&S establish a new cloud-based architecture that will unify its current systems. 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 predictive platform will help C&S provide best-in-class tools and capabilities to its employees to achieve operational excellence and growth ― much of which is made possible by bringing self-service solutions to IT and customer service touchpoints. The deployment also will offer C&S the scalability needed to drive long-term business growth.

The new Google Cloud platform will help C&S streamline its operations by providing the infrastructure flexibility to support the company’s sustainability initiatives and growth strategy. TCS will help reduce C&S’s carbon footprint by migrating its data center workloads to the carbon-neutral infrastructure of Google Cloud.

“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, Chief Executive Officer, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. “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.”

“Our collaboration with TCS and Google Cloud will accelerate C&S’s digital transformation strategy,” said Sudhakar Lingineni, Chief Information Officer, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. “It will help build new and support current critical business applications with resilience, scalability, and flexibility to drive innovation and growth while ensuring business continuity. Our investments in technology demonstrate our commitment to delivering greater value to our customers and partners when they need it most. Big Query, AI, and ML will help tackle the large and complex data challenges unique to our business.”

Amit Bajaj, President, TCS North America, said, “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. Additionally, the solution helps support C&S’s sustainability goals of reducing food waste and carbon emissions.”

Kirsten Kliphouse, President – Americas, Google Cloud, 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. 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."

About C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. is an industry leader in supply chain solutions and wholesale grocery supply in the United States. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with over 100,000 different products. We are an engaged corporate citizen, supporting causes that positively impact our communities. To learn more, please visit www.cswg.com.