Walmart deploying autonomous lift trucks at four of its high-tech DCs

After a 16-month proof of concept, retail giant Walmart is rolling out 19 autonomous lift trucks from Fox Robotics across four of its high-tech DCs, according to a Walmart blog post that came out today.

In the post by Maurice Gray, General Manager of Walmart's Distribution Center 6020, the high-tech DC in Brooksville, Fla., where the proof of concept took place, Gray explained that the robotic units are being used to fully automate loading dock processes, autonomously unloading pallets of goods from trailer, which at his DC, are then inducted into an automated storage & retreival system (AS/RS).

According to Gray's post, associates with lift truck experience are being trained to oversee the Foxbot autonomous lift trucks. Gray cited the example of one associate, Jose Molina, with 26 years of experience with Walmart, who used to unload trucks manually, and now directs the FoxBot autonomous units. "Where Jose used to unload manually, he can now direct a FoxBot autonomous forklift to three times the same output," Gray wrote.

Gray explained autonomous units offer a chance for upskilling, while the oversight from experienced operators is important to the effectiveness of the automation. As Gray put it, "Instead of unloading the pallets manually, associates become conductors – considering the best, most efficient way to unload trailers based on their own experience. I’m watching players become coaches, and I couldn’t be more impressed."

In an accompanying online article about the operator experience, Walmart also shared this tidbit: directing the autonomous lift truck, Molina holds the Brooksville DC’s record for most trailers unloaded in a single day — 27 trailers during a 10-hour shift, roughly double the amount usually possible. 

Walmart is an investor in Fox Robotics, in addition to being an end user of its solution. In a comment Walmart provided along with the post, Marin Tchakarov, Fox Robotics' president and CEO, stated, "We see this collaboration as the latest massive validation point of our technology and product capabilities, solidifying our leadership position in the warehouse shipping and receiving dock automation space."