Retail and logistics giant Walmart today opened its newest high-tech consolidation center, saying the 490,000-square foot facility in Minooka, Illinois, will use automated technology to enable three times more volume to flow throughout the center and help Walmart deliver the right product to the right store.
The building will be the third of its kind in Walmart’s supply chain, following the first one which opened in 2019 in Colton, California.
Details of the financial investment or the specific technology deployed were not disclosed.
According to Bentonville, Arkansas-based Walmart, its consolidation centers have a specialized role in moving products quickly on their journey to store shelves. Each has the ability to receive general merchandise items from suppliers in smaller, less than truckload (LTL) freight loads, and consolidate them into full truckload (TL) shipments. Then the product is shipped to one of Walmart’s 42 regional distribution centers where it is sorted for distribution to retail stores.
“We’ve made continued investments in our people, facilities and technology to ensure we have the right product, in the right place, at the right time,” said Mike Gray, Senior Vice President of Ambient Operations at Walmart. “As part of these investments, the Minooka facility will provide even more opportunities for small to medium sized suppliers in the region who do not ship nationwide, the ability to provide product to all 4,700 Walmart stores.”
