It also plans to move its dry grocery products

End of 2004, the Regional Directorate of the equipment of the Ile-de-France Regional Council, the Paris City Hall and Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) sought an alternative to the truck to bring goods into the capital. Monoprix, whose stores are mainly located in the downtown, very quickly turned on the record. After platforms tender launched in carriers, cargo SNCF was chosen, particularly because it had une Gabriel - Lamé, close to Bercy, in the 12earrondissement. This site is well positioned to warehouses of Monoprix, located 35 kilometres south-east of Paris, at Combs-la-Ville.

Since the implementation of the device, in November 2007, VFLI, a subsidiary of the SNCF, "reliability is at the Rendez-vous." "Trains are same priorities as the TGV", said Claude Samson, Samada, subsidiary responsible for logistics for Monoprix. Ensign chose to bring this through all its non-food general merchandise and non-alcoholic beverages, which represents 200,000 pallets per year. The commands are prepared day and then loaded on a train between 20 hours and 20: 45.

Out of Bercy, Gabriel Lamé Hall serves as a "cross docking", i.e. for an immediate transfer of the goods, without storage. 22 trucks of 14 tons and 4 7 tons, motorized natural gas vehicle (NGV) and leased to Bourgey Montreuil (Geodis), take the relay from 7 o'clock in the morning to deliver the shops up to 11 hours. These same trucks were previously come before early morning plugs, fresh products from Wissous and Gennevilliers. The use of the train avoids the crossing of the agglomeration to peak by 10,000 to 12,000 trucks in the year.

Additional cost of 15 to 20

Today, Monoprix serves this combination 94 stores in Paris and near suburbs, allowing it to complete, 5 days on 7 and 52 weeks per year, a full train of 18 to 20 cars. The environmental balance sheet is necessarily positive, as the used diesel locomotive displays performance equivalent to the standard Euro 4 truck and is equipped with a particulate filter. The CNG vehicles also improve the balance sheet. Total emissions of pollutants have dropped 50 and CO2de 47 compared to a conventional truck transport.

The economic balance sheet seems a priori less favourable. Transported palette in this way is an additional 15 to 20, which is due to close half load breakdown (handling between the train and trucks at Bercy), and for the rest, the lack of variation in the cost of a train (whenever it is incorrectly completed, the unit cost of transported pallet climbs) as well as to lease in the SNCF "to a Parisian Award" of the 4,000 m of Bercy.

Monoprix absorbs a portion of this cost by optimizing the tours of delivery of its trucks, which spend less time in plugs. "We have also very positive image benefits to our customers Paris, very sensitive to environmental issues, explains Claude Samson." When oil prices rise and that drastic measures will be taken by the cities to reduce the movement of trucks, we are well ahead of our competitors.

Pending this deadline, the logistical Monoprix seek to better exploit the platform of Bercy, serving between 21 and 10 hours of the morning. Casino distribution, the group to which belongs Monoprix, already uses the site. But Claude Samson aims mainly to companies of other sectors of activity which may require this space at other times. It also plans to move its dry grocery products.

Finally, Monoprix wants to keep its own transportation pioneer image. In connection with the Club Demeter environmental association and logistics and in negotiating with Ports in Paris, she conducts tests for use of the Seine as another massifiée alternative pathway of entry in Paris. But Claude Samson recognizes that solutions that seem well adapted to the capital "are not necessarily replicable in other major cities.