Food solutions company SpartanNash of Byron Center, south of Grand Rapids, unveiled plans for the additional use of an autonomous inventory robot named Tally in 15 grocery stores in Michigan and Indiana.
Developed by retail technology company Simbe Robotics, Tally is part of SpartanNash’s continued investment in technology to improve service.
After a successful pilot in select D&W Fresh Market stores in Williamston, SpartanNash will be placing Simbe’s robot in additional Family Fare stores. The company also is placing Tally in Martin’s Super Market stores in Indiana. The real-time data intelligence that Tally provides should help ensure store customers’ favorite items always stay fresh, adequately stocked, and priced competitively.
“Tally’s speed, accuracy, and automation enable our Associates to save time in inventory tracking and spend more time on the floor serving store guests,” says Tom Swanson, executive vice president of corporate retail for SpartanNash.
Tally is designed to be a quiet, slim robot that unobtrusively traverses store aisles throughout the day, using 3-D computer vision technology to collect accurate shelf data. It can capture 15,000 to 30,000 products an hour, ensuring products remain in-stock, in the correct location, and accurately priced.
“When we first started working with SpartanNash, we knew this was a partner that recognized the powerful role technology can play in enhancing in-store operations and, as a result, the customer experience,” says Brad Bogelea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics. “It’s been so rewarding working together to further deploy our retail solution. We’re excited to continue providing powerful insights for SpartanNash to help improve the shopping experience for store guests and Associates.”
This move by SpartanNash follows the company’s recent work with food technology platform Afresh Technologies and is part of the company’s efforts to use customer-focused innovation.
“SpartanNash is positively influencing our store guest experience through new-to-world technology innovations such as Tally to help us in our mission to deliver the ingredients for a better life,” says Masier Tayebi, executive vice president at SpartanNash.
