Walmart chooses Swisslog AS/RS and software for third milk processing facility

Swisslog, a leading provider of intralogistics warehouse automation and software, has announced that Walmart will install a Swisslog automation solution within its Robinson, TX, facility, to manage material flow and increase uptime. Walmart is planning to break ground on the milk processing facility later this year with the facility scheduled to open in 2026. 

This is the third Walmart milk processing facility to deploy Swisslog’s automated storage and retrieval solution (ASRS) featuring SynQ software and Vectura cranes. The company worked with Swisslog to open its first milk processing facility in Fort Wayne, IN, in 2018. This facility served as a blueprint for its second facility in Valdosta, GA expected to open in 2025, as well as for the just announced Texas facility. 

According to Walmart, the ASRS continues the company’s commitment to building a more resilient and transparent supply chain to deliver high-quality products. It also will bolster the company’s capacity to meet consumer demand for milk. The products from the facility will serve more than 750 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs throughout the South including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi.

Designed by Swisslog’s automation experts, the ASRS brings together five Vectura pallet stacker cranes with KUKA palletizing and de-palletizing robots, a ProMove pallet conveyor system, as well as a conveyor system for small loads. Swisslog added that the automation solution operates on synchronized intelligence from its SynQ software, which provides warehouse management, material flow and automation control system functionality in a single, modular platform.

“We are honored that Walmart continues to put their trust in our automation solutions and our people behind those solutions,” said Sean Wallingford, president, and CEO of Swisslog Americas. “This has been a very collaborative relationship as our two teams work together to create value for Walmart and ensure our automation solutions and software enable the company and its farmers to bring fresh, transparently sourced dairy to market.”

SynQ management software not only optimizes the flow of the equipment to increase efficiency and accuracy of the operation, it also orchestrates the operation of multiple sub-systems, Swisslod added. SynQ is said to provide sophisticated inventory management and material flow capabilities that enable real-time inventory tracking and management of items to ensure freshness, quality and transparency of the food supply chain. 

This project also includes Swisslog’s IT Managed Services, which puts in place experts to proactively manage the IT systems and software required to keep the equipment running at peak performance. Swisslog explained that the higher-level 24/7 support allows Walmart to free up internal resources from routine IT system administration, while also enabling data-driven proactive maintenance that helps reduce unplanned downtime.