Coles Supermarket: Streamlining a Complex Technology Ecosystem with the METS Platform
- SixPivot
- Sep 16
- 3 min read
Consolidating Hundreds of Applications into One Managed Platform for Maximum Efficiency
In Australian retail, Coles, once a single store in Melbourne, Victoria, is a colossus. With hundreds of stores nationwide dedicated to giving Aussie families the products they need for a happy, healthy home life, at prices they can afford, Coles has long been at the forefront of the supermarket industry. But behind the scenes, this retail giant faced a formidable burden: an increasingly complex and costly IT infrastructure.
As Coles expanded its digital offerings, it found itself grappling with a fragmented IT environment. The company's existing "Product Home" approach, while initially effective, had begun to show its limitations, with siloed applications leading to:
Isolated development environments
Redundant efforts across teams
Spiralling cloud costs
Reduced agility in responding to market demands
Coles needed a solution that would not only address these immediate concerns but also position the company for future growth and innovation.
Recognising the need for a strategic overhaul, Coles partnered with SixPivot, experts in full-stack software development and known for an innovative approach to complex IT challenges. SixPivot's team quickly grasped the scope of Coles' predicament and proposed a bold solution: the METS platform.
Coles Transformation: The METS Platform
METS (Managed Enterprise Technology Services) represented a fundamental shift in how Coles approached its IT infrastructure. Instead of maintaining separate environments for each application, METS offered a shared platform model that centralised application management and optimised cloud resources. Key features of the METS platform include:
Centralised Application Management: A single point of control for all applications, reducing complexity and improving oversight
Optimised Cloud Infrastructure: Using Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters to enhance scalability and efficiency
Streamlined Development Processes: Unified environments that facilitate collaboration and reduce redundant work
Cost-Effective Resource Allocation: Intelligent distribution of computing resources to minimise waste and maximise performance
Implementing METS was no small feat. It required careful planning and execution to ensure that Coles' operations were uninterrupted during the transition. The impact of the METS platform on Coles' IT operations was nothing short of transformative:
Cost Savings: Significant reduction in cloud-related expenses
Improved Collaboration: Development teams working in a unified environment and reducing time-to-market for new features
Enhanced Performance: Applications running on METS experienced better performance
Scalability: Coles can easily scale its IT capabilities in response to business needs
Operational Efficiency: Reduced overhead in managing and maintaining disparate systems
As of the latest update, five critical applications are running on the METS platform, with more in the pipeline. Each migration brings new efficiency and learnings, further cementing the value of this innovative approach.
“The DevOps experts at SixPivot have streamlined our build and deployment pipelines, saving us time and resources. Their expertise in cloud automation has enabled us to significantly reduce costs by automatically minimising non-production environments when not in use.” - Vessi O’Mahony, Delivery Manager – Engineering, Coles Supermarkets
A Foundation for Future Innovation
The success of the METS platform has positioned Coles at the forefront of retail technology innovation in Australia. With a more agile and efficient IT infrastructure, Coles is now better equipped to rapidly deploy new technologies, adapt to changing market conditions with greater speed, and explore cutting-edge technologies like AI.
As Coles continues to leverage the METS platform, the company is not just solving today's challenges – it's building the foundation for tomorrow's innovations. This partnership between Coles and SixPivot stands as a testament to the power of strategic IT transformation in driving business success.
