In 10 years, all retailers will have either deployed or initiated large-scale plans. Mechanization thus intersects with the challenges of the sector, aiming for productivity and optimization of its logistics processes while improving safety and working conditions.

With the evolution of employment pools and prevailing legislation, innovation from equipment suppliers, including financial engineering, the level of mutualization between distributors, and the implementation of standards and norms with their suppliers, dictate the pace of mechanization in retail warehouses.

To accompany the changes induced in logistics chains, ECR France and its members have simultaneously initiated a reflection on the potential of connected objects to optimize processes up to the points of sale.

"10 projects have been identified in the FMCG sector, three of which will be tested in real conditions from 2016 onwards."

The first project aims to objectify supplier - service provider - distributor relationships, with the aim of optimizing warehouse reception performance.

Dedicated to the location and tracking of carts, the second project will analyze their movements relative to a given warehouse configuration to improve organization.

Already experimented in industrial laundry by linking laundry with their rolls, the third project concerns the location of handling supports in an open circuit. This test will attempt to identify the gains in service quality and productivity achieved through very precise traceability and monitoring.

Focus on the ten projects:

Optimizing real-time transport operations Objectifying Supplier/Service Provider/Distributor relationships Improving performance through operational data Being alerted to events occurring during transport Having performance indicators Locating tools and tracking their status Locating supports in an open circuit Locating supports in a closed circuit Ensuring availability on shelves Identifying the shopper's journey.