Brussels (Belgium), Ascot (the United Kingdom), 24th February 2010 - Zetes, (Euronext Brussels: ZTS), the leading European provider of solutions and services for the automatic identification of goods and people, has been awarded a contract from Morrisons, the UK’s 4th largest supermarket chain, to provide a wireless IT infrastructure solution for 5 of its manufacturing facilities.

  • Solution includes 132 forklift terminals, designed and developed by IND, an affiliate of the Zetes Group
  • The wireless network will enable current, paper based processes and information systems to become more accurate and automated

The project, which includes design, implementation and support of a wireless infrastructure with mobile devices, is valued at over £1.5m.  It is an important element of  Morrisons’ ongoing investment into upgrading its IT capabilities across the organization.  The wireless network will enable the current, predominantly paper based processes and information systems to become more accurate and automated, paving the way for future operational improvements.  As announced in January 2009, Morrisons has already invested £6m in a project with Zetes to introduce voice directed picking into all its warehouses, which is currently being implemented.

The full implementation programme of this latest project will take place between February and September 2010. Once live, it will enable its manufacturing centres to benefit from access to real time information held within Morrisons’ Oracle eBiz ERP system, due to be introduced in 2010.

Zetes supplied professional services consultancy to design the Cisco wireless network and oversee the implementation, which has just begun.  The company is also supplying and supporting all the mobile devices required within Morrisons’ manufacturing estate including advanced handheld terminals with keyboards specially customized for Morrisons, extended range scanners and label printers.  The solution also includes the implementation of 132 truck-mounted data communication terminals, developed and manufactured by IND, an affiliate of the Zetes Group.

Gary Barr, IT Director at Morrisons says, “Once again Zetes has proved their versatility by providing a solution which is designed, implemented and supported in a consistent, standard and timely manner.  It was a natural progression to invite Zetes to design the wireless network within our manufacturing operations after their excellent track record implementing voice into our distribution centres.”

Alain Wirtz, CEO of Zetes says, “We are very proud, after having successfully installed the voice solution in Morrison’s distribution centres, to have been awarded this new contract as the company’s strategic technology partner. Our wide range of solutions, which cover the needs of the entire supply chain, allow companies like Morrisons to have a single point of contact for the many projects requiring the implementation, using a wide range of data capture technologies.”

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