United Natural Foods, the largest full-service grocery wholesaling partner in North America, chose telematics provider Samsara to achieve new sustainability and safety progress. UNFI has adopted Samsara vehicle telematics, asset gateways, environmental monitors, and video-based safety.
“The safety, efficiency, and sustainability improvements UNFI will make with Samsara will help us change our business for the better. A core part of UNFI’s customer and supplier-centric strategy is continuous improvement and better efficiency,” said Gregory Tieder, senior director of corporate logistics at UNFI.
Reducing emissions and waste for a more sustainable world
The majority of UNFI’s direct emissions are from its fleet, and by the end of its fiscal year 2030, the company has a goal to reduce Scope 1 and 3 emissions from transportation. UNFI has developed an electric vehicle blueprint, covering multiple California distribution centers and fleets, to better understand where EVs can benefit its operations. It is also using technology, like Samsara vehicle telematics, to improve customer deliveries and reduce fuel-wasting behaviors, like idling, in its existing internal combustion engine-powered trucks.
UNFI’s goal is to achieve zero waste to landfills from distribution centers by fiscal year 2030. The company transports about 41,000 pounds of food daily, and temperature control is critical for product freshness and safety. Each trailer has multiple temperature zones to accommodate the variety of products supplied to its customers on a single route. UNFI uses Samsara environmental monitors to ensure food safety and reduce waste from load loss. In addition to the sustainability benefits, these outcomes mean decreased costs for UNFI and a better experience for its customers.
See also: BeyondTrucks announces Samsara integration with driver workflows
From forklift to truck, increasing employee safety throughout the supply chain
Safety is a core value for UNFI and one of its goals is to ensure all 30,000 associates arrive home safely at the end of the day. UNFI believes this effort requires supporting associates with the best training and technology to increase safety.
"UNFI operates 24/7 to meet the needs of our customers,” said Tieder. “They expect on-time deliveries despite poor weather, heavy traffic, and other challenges we face on the road. High-quality service creates complexity, but we won’t compromise on safety. Samsara helps us to reliably deliver for our customers while also strengthening our safety practices.”
More than 2 million cases are delivered to its customers by UNFI drivers daily, which makes efficient utilization of transportation assets critical. By equipping its trailers with Samsara asset gateways, UNFI views their locations in real-time. This improved visibility is expected to result in higher utilization of assets, cost savings, and timely service for its customers.
“UNFI is taking incredible steps to improve North America's food system, accelerate its sustainability efforts, and increase associate safety,” said Lara Caimi, president of worldwide field operations at Samsara. “Every day, we see how transformative it is for large, complex organizations to use a single platform to manage and optimize their operations with Samsara. We can't wait to see what UNFI and Samsara accomplish together."
