A new era of digital transformation: the Newrest way

February 18, 2026

As mobility and remote-site operations grow in complexity, digital transformation has become a structural imperative. At Newrest, it is built on an interconnected ecosystem linking operational performance, guest experience and robotics. Featuring expert insights from Sami Tavukcuoglu, this article explores how digital integration strengthens reliability, efficiency and service continuity at scale.

• Digital transformation at Newrest is a fully integrated architecture linking ERP, user platforms and robotics to standardise operations and ensure reliability at scale.
• Real-time data and connected tools improve cost control, forecasting, safety and compliance, shifting from reactive reporting to proactive risk prevention.
• The Digital Factory model shows how ERP integration and robotics enhance quality, traceability and resilience in rail, airline and remote-site catering.

Across the mobility, rail, airline and remote-site sectors, operational environments are becoming more demanding, more data-driven and less tolerant of disruption. Clients expect reliability, real-time visibility and measurable performance, whether operations take place in a European rail hub, an international airport or an isolated mining site.

Newrest has launched a fully automated “Digital Factory” in France that prepares and loads catering for up to 500 trains per day. Watch the full video and discover how data and robotics are transforming rail logistics.

For a group operating in more than 50 countries with more than 60,000 employees, digital transformation is not incremental. It is structural. Scale demands standardisation. Remote environments demand predictability. Modern clients demand transparency, traceability and efficiency across the value chain.

Digital transformation at Newrest is not a tool. It is an architecture.

At Newrest, digital transformation is built as a fully interconnected ecosystem linking three complementary pillars: the digitalisation of operations, the digital experience of end users and the integration of robotics within production environments.

The Digital Factory model – now deployed in both airline and railway catering – is the most visible expression of this strategy. Yet it is only one component of a broader architecture designed to optimise performance, strengthen reliability and support clients in their own modernisation strategies.

Building operational control through digital integration

The first pillar focuses on internal operational performance.

At its core sits Winrest, the group’s proprietary ERP. It consolidates production data, purchasing flows, stock levels, loading plans and sales reporting into a unified digital environment. Integrated with POS systems, maintenance management tools and site-level modules, it creates a consistent operational framework across geographies and business lines.

For remote environments in particular, digitalisation directly influences cost control and competitiveness.

As Sami Tavukcuoglu, Newrest’s Group Sales Director – Remote Sites, explains: “Catering, staffing, and logistics are managed based on actual on-site presence and real needs, not assumptions. Result: less waste, less improvisation, and better cost management and competitiveness.”

Read more about how Newrest is scaling its Digital Factory concept here.

This data-driven approach reduces operational risk, improves forecasting accuracy and allows teams to adapt rapidly to fluctuations in demand. Digitalising operations lays the foundation for reliability and scalability, ensuring that complexity can be managed without compromising efficiency or continuity.

What does digital transformation mean for the end user?

The second pillar extends beyond internal processes to the experience of guests and residents.

In remote sites, digital tools play a broader role than simple service facilitation. They contribute directly to quality of life and social cohesion.

“For on-site teams, digital tools primarily help maintain human connection and prevent isolation. In remote environments, digital becomes the daily dashboard: menus, services, practical information, and activities. It provides visibility and helps residents stay connected and engaged in site life,” said Tavukcuoglu.

Through CONNECT’EAT and associated digital modules, Newrest integrates ordering tools, digital menus, cashless payment, information services and feedback mechanisms into a seamless platform. Residents and guests gain visibility on services and activities, while operators gain measurable data that supports stock optimisation and waste reduction.

Digital experience therefore serves both engagement and performance. It strengthens the human dimension of site life while feeding structured operational data back into the system.

Robotics as a strategic acceleration layer

The third pillar introduces a decisive industrial dimension: robotics.

 

Directly connected to Winrest, robotic systems deployed within Newrest’s Digital Factories automate repetitive and physically demanding tasks while reinforcing quality control and traceability. Automation supports tray assembly, drawer re-completion, labelling, loading preparation and reconciliation of sales data.

The objective is not productivity alone. Robotics standardises quality, reduces anomalies and strengthens predictability across production cycles.

In remote environments, predictability is performance.

By freeing teams from repetitive handling tasks, robotics allows operators to focus on supervision and quality control – areas where human expertise remains essential.

Digital as a safety and compliance enabler

Beyond efficiency, digital transformation plays a critical role in risk management and prevention – particularly in remote or high-sensitivity environments.

“The objective is not better reporting, but incident prevention. Continuous traceability: food safety, hygiene, water, equipment (maintenance). Controls are monitored in real time, deviations are detected earlier, and evidence is available at any time,” said Tavukcuoglu.

By integrating maintenance systems, hygiene monitoring and operational traceability into a single ecosystem, Newrest strengthens compliance and ensures that deviations are detected early. Real-time visibility reduces the probability of incidents and reinforces client confidence.

Digital tools therefore shift the focus from reactive reporting to proactive prevention.

A fully integrated model in practice: the railway Digital Factory

The railway Digital Factory in Sucy-en-Brie illustrates how this ecosystem operates in practice.

Fully dedicated to rail catering logistics, the 4,500-square-metre site manages the preparation, re-completion and organisation of trolleys for long-distance trains. Each day, up to 500 trains are loaded through a structured and automated process.

Robots identify incomplete drawers, direct them towards automated or manual re-completion zones and manage intelligent storage before dispatch. Automated labelling ensures precision and traceability, reaching a cadence of up to 500 drawers per hour.

Business intelligence tools optimise stock levels and anticipate demand fluctuations linked to seasonal peaks or events. Automation simultaneously improves ergonomics by eliminating heavy lifting and repetitive handling tasks.

The Digital Factory concept has already been deployed in airline catering and continues to expand internationally. The railway unit demonstrates how ERP integration, operational intelligence and robotics converge within a single production environment.

Strengthening resilience and business continuity

For clients operating in rail, airline or remote-site environments, service continuity is critical – particularly when conditions become more challenging.

“Absorbing uncertainty – early visibility on risks, with the objective of ensuring service continuity even when conditions become more challenging,” said Tavukcuoglu.

By connecting production units directly to data flows, anticipating demand variations and standardising processes through robotics, Newrest builds resilience into its operating model. Early visibility on risks allows corrective measures to be implemented before disruptions escalate.

Digital transformation at Newrest is not a standalone technological initiative. It is a deliberate architectural choice – one that aligns operational performance, user experience, safety and industrial innovation within a scalable global model.

In an industry where reliability defines value, digital integration is no longer optional. It is foundational.

The Digital Factory is its most visible expression. The ecosystem behind it is its true strength.

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