Nexans launches its new global offer Nexans ULTRACKER: the supply chain booster

• The ULTRACKER offer is a suite of solutions ensuring supply chain continuity based on Internet of Things (IoT), enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services.
• ULTRACKER improves Operating Working Capital (OWC) and amplifies customer experience.
• ULTRACKER increases supply chain agility by boosting delivery performance and meets customer needs by tracking deliveries and lowering transportation costs.
• The technology has been developed by Nexans’ Digital Factory and is powered by Microsoft Azure cloud services.

Paris, February 10, 2022 – Nexans amplifies its innovation and announces the launch of Nexans ULTRACKER, a suite of innovative supply chain solutions that streamline the order, delivery, and inventory management processes. The Group is providing a unique offer to address its customers’ supply chain challenges. Advanced AI and cloud-based software have been developed in conjunction with Microsoft Azure, which will allow continuous monitoring throughout the entire supply chain.

Nexans ULTRACKER is made up of four main digital solutions. This global offer contains industry-leading technologies including software that allows customers to access live updates about their cable delivery status, drums geolocation and anti-theft alarms. Thanks to this unique solution, customers have real-time detailed information on their products.

• ULTRACKER VENDOR-MANAGED INVENTORY (VMI) raises supply chain efficiency of customers by synchronizing demand with product availability while avoiding both supply disruption and excess inventories. Thanks to this orchestration process, supply chain data such as consumption forecast, stock, and order booking are exchanged through a dedicated software platform that acts as an interface between Nexans and its customers’ information systems. The system automatically triggers the supply and replenishment to meet customer demand.
• ULTRACKER SMART INVENTORY MANAGEMENT (SIM) tracks the history of stock movements to help customers monitor and manage cable stocks in real time and triggers an alert to reduce the risk of product shortage or overstock. This automated inventory system boosts performance and speed and helps to reduce costs, decreasing the environmental impact and the working capital required by clients.
• ULTRACKER TRACK’N TRACE is a digital service developed with Nexans’ technology partner Shippeo, a global leader in supply chain visibility that uses automation and artificial intelligence to deliver industry-leading supply chain solutions. In collaboration with Shippeo, Nexans provides real-time asset tracking worldwide, incident management, and accurate arrival time predictions and delivery updates.
• ULTRACKER DRUMS uses edge-computing technologies to enable real-time geolocation of cable drums thanks to multi-sensor GPS devices embedded inside the drums. Nexans pioneered these technologies and provides unique advantages to its customers, such as shipments follow-up, theft detection, remote monitoring of installation projects, residual length management, and a streamlined drum pick-up process. It results in reduction of cables drums theft and loss by 90% while improving the drums usage rate by 25%, as well as a global reduction of waste. Nexans has recently partnered with Orange Business Services, a worldwide provider of Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity, to support the scale up of this service all over the world.

Nexans has built long-lasting relationships with its partners and continues to advance its customer-centric innovations, and ultimately customer satisfaction. Nexans’ ULTRACKER allows customers to stay up to date with the latest supply chain technology and industry demands, while keeping transportation costs down. Nexans will continue refining its worldwide offering of solutions by combining the ULTRACKER TRACK’N TRACE and ULTRACKER DRUMS functions in a single platform, allowing customers to access resources from a single-entry point.

As an example, Enedis, France’s electricity distribution system operator, has identified the management of its reel fleet as a major challenge. Some reels are lost every year with an average immobilization time of 270 days for every type of cable. By using Nexans’ ULTRACKER solution, Enedis can optimize each stage of the reel's life cycle, from the delivery date until the day the reel is empty. On average, Enedis estimates the potential annual rental saving to be €1.6 million.