McDonald’s has announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with artificial intelligence company Cognizant, which was first signed in 2017. According to the companies, McDonald’s will leverage Cognizant’s technology to enhance labor and operational efficiencies by supporting the chain’s global finance systems and human capital management, including payroll processing, franchisee management, data management, and legal applications.
McDonald’s will use products such as Cognizant’s Skygrade, a cloud and edge management platform designed to help companies transition to cloud-native systems, and Neuro IT, which automates IT functions.
"Cognizant has been an invaluable partner in helping us streamline our enterprise applications across major markets and further our journey to the cloud," McDonald’s vice president of global technology enterprise products and platforms JT Scott said in a statement. "Cognizant brings a rich history across our enterprise and deep expertise in global finance and people systems that enabled us to focus on our core mission of delivering delicious food and exceptional customer experiences. The next several years will undoubtedly bring exciting advancements as we continue working together to embrace new technologies and innovation."
Cognizant, which was founded in 1994 and has since grown into a global company with several different products, has a footprint in 20 different industries, including banking, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing.
"We are thrilled to extend and expand our partnership with McDonald's as part of this critical agreement. Our collaboration has enabled the transformation from a legacy enterprise to a modern cloud-based business, delivering exceptional value," Cognizant senior vice president and head of the consumer business unit Anup Prasad said in a statement. "The continuity of this partnership is a testament to our mutual commitment to leveraging technology and driving business success. We look forward to leveraging Cognizant's differentiated platforms such as Cognizant Neuro IT Operations and Skygrade, for better observability, reliability and agility at McDonald's."
McDonald’s partnership with Cognizant was initially forged in early 2017 with Riyadh International Catering Corporation, which owns and operates nearly 200 restaurants in Saudi Arabia. This extension comes a little over a year after executives shared their “Digitizing the Arches” plans during Investor Day to modernize the brand and accelerate growth. During the event, global chief information officer Brian Rice said the company’s technology platforms have become more fragmented, complex, and inconsistent. In response, McDonald’s has been building three new platforms – one for customers, one for restaurants, and one for the company.
“Together, they will enable us to execute in a world that is increasingly digital,” Rice said, adding that the company’s extension of the Google Cloud into its restaurants will unlock cost savings opportunities, drive more consistent customer experiences, and “reduce complexity for crew members.”
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
