Walmart to deploy automation from Symbotic across 25 DCs

Symbotic, a robotics and automation-based company, and Walmart have announced they will partner to reimagine the retailer’s regional distribution network.

The automated system uses high speed robotics and dense automated storage, and works to sort, store, retrieve and pack freight onto pallets, according to a Walmart blog post about the project. By using high-speed palletizing robotics to organize and optimize freight, the system creates custom store- and aisle-ready pallets.

Symbotic first implemented its system in Walmart’s Brooksville, Florida distribution center in 2017. Since that time, the companies have worked together to optimize the system. Today, Symbotic will begin the process of outfitting 25 additional regional distribution centers with the automation.

“There is no greater validation of our efforts to use technology to reimagine the warehouse and supply chain than our work with Walmart,” said Rick Cohen, CEO of Symbotic. “We set out more than 15 years ago to dramatically improve America’s legacy warehouses and supply chain to provide better and faster service to American consumers with new career opportunities for workers. Working with customers like Walmart has enabled us to develop this total solution and with this trust we are now positioned to develop Symbotic-powered warehouses around the country for years to come.”

With the new system in place, it will help reduce the time it takes to unload, sort, and stock freight in Walmart stores.

“The digital transformation happening today, alongside evolving customer habits, is reshaping the retail industry,” said Joe Metzger, executive vice president of supply chain operations, Walmart U.S. “To serve customers now, and in the future, our business must provide the right tools and training to our associates so they can deliver the items our customers want, when they want them, with unmatched convenience. We’re investing in our supply chain at an unprecedented scale in order to optimize that process end-to-end.”

In his blog post about the project, Metzger called the project a “game changer” in terms of efficiencies at both the DC and store levels, with customer experience benefits as well. As Metzger stated: “this first-of-its-kind tech when applied at our scale is revolutionary because, it gets products onto shelves for our customers even faster, while saving time for our associates. The new way of unloading store-friendly palletized trucks will make the process faster and simpler for our associates, allowing them to spend more time with our customers.”