DIA backs Zetes Voice solution to optimise its logistics on 3 continents

Zetes, the automatic goods and people identification services and solutions provider, has announced its agreement with DIA to extend the use of the 3iVoice solution to a third continent, after its implementation in Europe and America. Following the success of its voice system in several distribution centres in 6 countries on either side of the Atlantic, Zetes will be rolling out the solution in Asia.

DIA, a subsidiary of the Carrefour Group, is a distribution chain whose sales formula is based on a cost optimization policy, offering its clients the best value for money in popular consumer goods. It has more than 50,000 employees, and operates in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil and China under the DIA, banner, in Portugal as Minipreo, and in France under the names Ed  and DIA.  In each of these countries, DIA has distribution centres (a total of 44 warehouses) where orders are prepared for dispatch to more than 6,200 shops.

Zetes first provided DIA with its services in 2006, when it set up a voice picking solution in one of its Spanish warehouses. The aim was to increase productivity and improve working conditions. The satisfactory results in terms of improved quality, productivity and simplification of procedures led to the gradual incorporation of the voice solution in the rest of the Groups Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Greek warehouses. All the work was done by local subsidiaries of Zetes.

Now DIA has decided to roll out the solution in Asia, the third continent where the Group will be using the 3iV technology. A trial will shortly be set up in the Shanghai warehouse, and, once it has proved to be efficient, the solution will be extended to the Beijing warehouse.

Julin Villena, DIA Group Supply Chain Director, comments: The benefits we observed during the projects pilot phase convinced us that the Zetes 3iVoice solution was ideal for our requirements. It has enabled us to reduce the number of errors in preparing orders considerably, and to improve working conditions.

This kind of project shows that we can provide our clients with solutions at international level, comments Alain Wirtz, Zetes CEO. DIAs requirements are similar in every country, but every location has its own special characteristics, starting with the language spoken by the operatives.  As a result, the Zetes subsidiaries in the relevant country handle the project.  But of course they cooperate closely with teams who have worked on earlier installations in other countries.  This means that we can achieve coherency and consistency for the client by providing a local contact.  In China, we will be working with our partner, Schmidt.  In Latin America, the Zetes Spanish subsidiary handled the first installation and then trained the personnel of a partner company, so that it could deal with the remaining installations.