Client Overview

Woolworths Group, one of the largest retail companies in Australia and New Zealand, currently operates over 2,400 stores and serves more than 25 million customers each week. In 2020, as part of a strategic business transformation, Woolworths required a comprehensive asset audit to support restructuring efforts and ensure consistent, reliable data across its vast property portfolio.

The Challenge

Managing thousands of retail stores and distribution centres across two countries, Woolworths faced a major obstacle: outdated and incomplete asset data. Key challenges included:

A portfolio of 2,800+ locations with asset data in varying formats and accuracy levels.

Records that were, in some cases, more than 15 years old.

A manual audit process that would take an estimated 2.5 years to complete using traditional resources and methods.

An urgent timeline to complete the audit as part of wider business restructuring.

Woolworths needed a solution that could deliver speed, accuracy, and scalability without disrupting day-to-day operations.

The Solution: Ai Assets System

Woolworths partnered with Ai Assets to deploy a national audit using smart technology and a mobile-first, cloud-connected platform. The goal: deliver a complete and accurate asset register faster than ever before.

Key Achievements

2+ million assets audited, tagged, photographed, and recorded across all sites—capturing essential data such as make, model, serial number, and location.

Project completed in 6 months, reducing the expected timeline by 80%, despite the added complexity of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

High-quality, standardised asset images captured across every site to support future maintenance and asset planning.

Barcode tagging for every asset, enabling easy identification and long-term traceability.

Seamless integration with Maximo, Woolworths’ CMMS system, allowing for real-time updates and immediate operational use.

Operational Impact

Increased Efficiency: Woolworths now operates with a single source of truth for all assets, reducing time spent on audits, maintenance coordination, and reporting.

Empowered Teams: Store managers and facility teams can now scan assets, log faults, and request service in real time—directly from the field.

Improved Decision-Making: Accurate, centralised data supports smarter forecasting, budgeting, and lifecycle planning.

Reduced Downtime: Faster access to information and service history allows for more proactive asset maintenance.

Conclusion

Woolworths’ partnership with Ai Assets delivered a digital asset register that is accurate, standardised, and ready for immediate use. The project stands as a benchmark for how large-scale property portfolios can be digitised quickly and effectively using modern tools and a focused, agile approach.

By rethinking what’s possible in asset audits, Ai Assets helped Woolworths achieve in months what would have previously taken years—transforming the way they manage their physical infrastructure and laying a foundation for continuous operational improvement.