United Natural Foods partners with Samsara to enhance sustainability and safety in operations
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI), North America’s largest full-service grocery wholesaler, has chosen Samsara Inc. (NYSE: IOT), a leader in Connected Operations Cloud, to advance its sustainability and safety initiatives. This strategic partnership will leverage Samsara’s cutting-edge technology—including Vehicle Telematics, Asset Gateways, Environmental Monitors, and Video-Based Safety—to drive significant improvements across UNFI’s extensive logistics operations.
Aiming for Major Emissions Reductions and Waste Minimization
UNFI is committed to drastically reducing its Scope 1 and 3 emissions by the end of fiscal year 2030, with a focus on its substantial fleet operations. To support this goal, UNFI is developing an electric vehicle (EV) blueprint for its California distribution centers to evaluate the benefits of EVs in its fleet. Additionally, Samsara’s Vehicle Telematics technology is being employed to enhance the efficiency of customer deliveries and decrease fuel consumption by reducing idling times in conventional internal combustion engine trucks.
Simultaneously, UNFI has set ambitious targets to achieve zero waste to landfills from its distribution centers by fiscal year 2030. The company, which transports around 41,000 pounds of food daily, relies on precise temperature control to ensure product freshness and safety. To this end, Samsara’s Environmental Monitors are used to maintain critical temperature zones within trailers, thereby preventing load loss and reducing waste—further cutting costs and enhancing service quality for UNFI’s customers.
Boosting Safety Across the Supply Chain
Safety remains a paramount concern for UNFI, which aims to ensure the well-being of its 30,000 associates. The integration of Samsara’s technology aids in providing top-tier training and tools that enhance safety throughout the company’s operations. Gregory Tieder, Senior Director of Corporate Logistics at UNFI, emphasized the importance of reliable service that does not compromise safety standards, noting that Samsara’s solutions bolster the company’s ability to meet customer expectations despite logistical challenges such as adverse weather and heavy traffic.
Optimizing Asset Utilization for Improved Service Delivery
With Samsara’s Asset Gateways, UNFI can now track the real-time locations of its trailers, which is expected to lead to better asset utilization, cost savings, and more timely service for customers. This technology enables UNFI to efficiently manage its extensive logistics network, ensuring that over 2 million cases delivered daily to customers are handled with optimal efficiency.
Future Outlook and Industry Impact
Lara Caimi, President of Worldwide Field Operations at Samsara, praised UNFI’s proactive steps, stating, “UNFI is taking incredible steps to improve North America’s food system, accelerate its sustainability efforts, and increase associate safety.” She expressed enthusiasm for the potential transformations the partnership could bring to complex organizational operations.
This collaboration between UNFI and Samsara not only sets a new benchmark in logistics operations for sustainability and safety but also demonstrates how strategic partnerships can leverage technology to address critical industry challenges. As UNFI continues to implement these advanced solutions, it paves the way for more sustainable and efficient practices that could serve as a model for the rest of the industry.