Digital transformation as a sustainability strategy

sell & pick and Kärcher cooperate for future-oriented company catering
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In a pioneering collaboration, we, sell & pick, are supporting the renowned family business Alfred Kärcher SE & Co KG in the digital transformation of its four company restaurants. Our goal: to further advance Kärcher's sustainability strategy through AI-supported data analysis and process control. From the reduction of food waste to the optimization of operational processes, we rely on innovative technologies to create a sustainable and efficient gastronomy. Find out more about our partnership and how we are shaping the future of food service together.

The main task will be to drive forward the digital transformation of the four company restaurants of the family business based in Winnenden near Stuttgart. This should also contribute to the sustainability strategy of Alfred Kärcher SE & Co.

Our task is now to accompany and support the digitalization efforts of the industry pioneer on its way to sustainable, process-oriented and future-oriented company catering.

- Florian Mahnke | Senior Sales Manager of sell & pick

Digitalization for greater sustainability

The company is currently experiencing fluctuations of up to 30 percent in the number of people eating in its company restaurants. "Our common goal is to achieve a planning deviation of less than 10 percent in the long term. We also want to stabilize the contribution margin in the long term and significantly reduce food waste," continues Henrich. Since 2022, Kärcher has been increasingly focusing on sustainability in its company canteens: regional food is on the menu, the company promotes local partnerships and maintains direct relationships with its suppliers. The primary goal is also to avoid waste in storage, production, food processing and plate returns.
Sustainability is a central component of our corporate philosophy and we have set ourselves clear sustainability targets for the coming years. With the support of an experienced partner like sell & pick, we will be able to manage our company restaurants even more efficiently in future.
- Marcus Henrich | Manager Food at Alfred Kärcher SE & Co KG

Forward-looking company restaurants with AI support

A major challenge facing company restaurants today is the change in eating habits in society. This makes meal planning more difficult, as vegetarian dishes are increasingly in demand. The aim here is to offer the optimum ratio so that there is the right dish on the menu for every guest. This requires a solid database to analyze daily consumption in order to develop a forecast that predicts the number of dishes using AI and to achieve a significant reduction in planning deviations in the long term.

Our common goal is to ensure optimal service for Kärcher employees and to meet the increasing demands in the areas of sustainability, regionality and quality by using data analysis and AI for support.
Measurable, transparent processes are the basis for restaurant concepts that want to work with AI support in the future in order to make informed decisions and adapt resource planning in line with demand. Our end-to-end software platform makes exactly this possible: with the help of AI-supported data analysis and precise predictions, overproduction and underproduction can be avoided and resources can be used optimally. In this way, we enable Kärcher to manage its operations sustainably and economically - and help it to achieve its sustainability goals.
- Andreas Steinbeißer | Founder and CEO of sell & pick

Optimizing business processes with sell & pick

In the first step, all relevant operational systems of a company, such as the TCPos POS system or the foodnotify merchandise management system, are connected to the sell & pick process platform. The data obtained in this way is updated at 15-minute intervals and clearly presented to the user. This real-time transparency is a decisive step towards process optimization and the long-term improvement of operating results.

Together with our Customer Success Team, the data is analyzed to uncover potential and make recommendations for action that are tailored to the customer's individual goals.

Alex also admits that at first it was quite challenging to decide between his own learned gut feeling and what the data was really saying. It's not always easy to make the right decision and admit to yourself that the business doesn't always run the way you think it does.

AI-supported turnover and sales forecasts with sell & pick

By integrating historical data, sell & pick's algorithm can be quickly trained to produce accurate sales forecasts and continues to learn with each passing day. These AI-based predictions form the basis for optimal merchandise and personnel planning and help to plan resources optimally and reduce food waste. The resulting sales forecast based on quantities helps to optimize production planning and avoid under- and overproduction.

Hygiene safety and waste reduction in company catering

By integrating Rieber 's HACCP data into sell & pick, all daily tasks in company catering can be checked for compliance. This enables seamless monitoring of food hygiene, including compliance with delivery and refrigeration temperatures. The collaboration with Green Guides also supports our customers' sustainability goals. The focus here is on reducing food waste in the restaurant, hotel and communal catering sectors. By comparing establishments in terms of food waste and measuring wet waste by location and dish, suitable measures can be taken quickly to reduce waste. We value this partner and its vision and would like to thank it for the opportunity to be part of the partner network.

Shopping basket analysis for an optimal food offer

The linking of the cash register and merchandise management system enables a detailed analysis of the use of goods - both in absolute and percentage terms, right up to the contribution margin. Changing eating habits make meal planning increasingly complex. The shopping basket analysis from sell & pick provides the necessary data to create the perfect range of dishes on the right scale and thus secure guest numbers in the long term.

Our goal

We are committed to achieving Kärcher's sustainability goals by analyzing data and identifying potential for action in close cooperation with our Customer Success Team. Transparency and regular monitoring in jour fixe meetings are crucial here.

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