Vocollect and Carrefour Create Collaborative Thinktank to Advance Operational Excellence via Voice

Vocollect, a provider of voice-centric systems for mobile workers, has joined forces with Carrefour, the second largest retailer worldwide and largest European retailer, to optimize the performance of Carrefour’s global supply chain.

This partnership, ‘Le Comite Innovation Logistique et Technologique au Service de L’Excellence Operationnelle,’ (CILTEO), is a new collaborative 'think tank' between Vocollect, Carrefour, technology partner Zetes, and various experts designed to share knowledge in trade and good business practices and to envisage together the needs and opportunities for voice solutions that support the operational and business objectives of the business. Insights developed from these sessions will enable Carrefour to address key strategic goals and performance metrics associated with its global supply chain growth. In turn, these sessions will enable Vocollect to create the most innovative solutions possible to support Carrefour’s needs.

“Over a two-year period, Carrefour has launched a comprehensive transformation program. Our think tank (CILTEO) includes leading companies in their market (Vocollect, Carrefour, and other logistics service providers), combining professional expertise and global coverage. Our objectives are common: to develop innovative solutions that enable everyone to improve operational efficiency, to reduce costs, and to strengthen our market leadership,” said Luc Layec, Carrefour's corporate logistics director.

“Vocollect and our partner Zetes always strive to help customers successfully address key business challenges. The CILTEO think tank provides an excellent opportunity to help us build an even closer relationship with our customer so that we can formulate the best voice-centric solutions to help Carrefour achieve its business goals,” said Joe Pajer, president and CEO of Vocollect. “This committee creates the means to allow Carrefour and its operations around the world to achieve increasing value from their supply chain,” he said.

The group’s objectives are to :

• share knowledge and expand the number of improvement ideas to accelerate supply chain goals;
• keep pace with the many evolutions in the supply chain;
• pursue a common vision on the types of innovations that are pivotal to achieving Carrefour’s strategic goals;
• develop technology innovations that improve operational effectiveness and reduce cost; and
• provide ongoing best-practices education to voice users.

“CILTEO is the fruit of a collaboration between Carrefour and Vocollect initiated 10 years ago in France. It is a great privilege for Vocollect to benefit from the insights of one of the largest world players in distribution circles,” said Mehran Bachan, Vocollect's southern region manager.