In contrast: Amazon had 253 fulfillment centers, 110 sortation centers, and 467 delivery stations in North America, not to mention hundreds of thousands of drivers and over 100 Amazon Air cargo aircraft, as of the end of 2021.

And when taking into account its roughly 4,700 stores, Walmart says it could offer same-day delivery to 80% of the U.S.

population with next- or two-day shipping.

Together with the company's 31 existing dedicated e-commerce fulfillment centers, Walmart says it will be able to reach 95% of the U.S.

population with next- or two-day shipping on millions of items,' David Guggina, senior vice president of innovation and automation at Walmart U.S., wrote in a blog post.

What they're saying: 'hese four next generation alone could provide 75% of the U.S.

Part of the efficiency gained also means workers will no longer need to walk nine miles or more a day across a facility because products will be shuttled to them instead, the company says.

The retailer said it's working with Knapp, an international logistics provider, to not only largely automate what was a 12-step manual process into five steps, but also to double the number of orders a facility can fulfill in a day.

Why it matters: Where Amazon has excelled, Walmart is investing heavily to catch up as its own e-commerce business has grown.ĭetails: Walmart's upcoming fulfillment centers (where online orders are packed and shipped) will be the first of their kind for the company - given their combination of robotics, machine learning and people. Walmart plans to open four new fulfillment centers that rely heavily on automation by 2024, the company announced today.

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