A digital intelligence-powered grocery retail company has officially launched its supply chain center in Shanghai. This center, located in the Pudong New Area, is the largest of its kind, with almost 1 million square feet of space. It is equipped with advanced technology and has received significant investment.
Over the span of three years, the center was built to integrate various functions into one comprehensive hub. It handles everything from agricultural product processing and research to the storage of semi-finished food, central kitchen operations, and cold chain logistics distribution. As the primary fresh supply hub for the retail chain in Shanghai, it supports over a hundred supermarkets, X Clubs, and other retail formats in the city, as well as surrounding areas like Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Hefei.
According to the director of the grocery supply chain center, the announcement of this center marks a significant upgrade that leverages data to automate the warehouse operations and management of the grocery retail chain. It also utilizes special central kitchens to enhance supply chain efficiency, reduce costs, and add value to various agricultural products.
This center is the retail chain’s first completely automated park, incorporating an automated cold chain fresh processing center and a range of logistics automation facilities. It harnesses state-of-the-art technologies, including 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain, to achieve full digitization and automation of the entire supply chain. These measures significantly improve efficiency and reduce operational costs.
The center employs automated equipment such as automated guided vehicles (AGV), robotic arms, and cross-belt sorters to streamline processes. AGVs utilize QR code and inertial navigation technologies, allowing them to be controlled via cloud servers during the product sorting process. With intelligent algorithms, these vehicles can follow optimal paths and collaborate to transport goods efficiently. The center can sort more than 2.8 million items per day.
A notable feature of the supply chain center is its centralized kitchen, where fresh ingredients are processed into prepared dishes. This complements the retail chain’s private brand prepared dishes, covering everything from research and development to production and transportation. Every step along the supply chain can be traced, ensuring food safety standards and enhancing the speed and efficiency of developing self-made food. This supports the retail chain’s efforts to promote prepared dishes and allows consumers to quickly enjoy delicious fresh food from the retail chain’s own brand.
To better serve customers nationwide, the retail chain has developed a robust fresh logistics supply chain. It has established seven supply chain centers in different regions of China, creating a large-scale multi-temperature layer logistics system.
