Walmart announced on October 19 that it will build a high-tech distribution center (DC) for frozen and fresh groceries in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The 720,000-plus square-foot facility, set to open in 2024, is expected to create more than 400 full-time regional jobs and rely on the combination of company employees, automation technology, robotics and machine learning to efficiently distribute frozen products, produce, eggs and dairy items for delivery to nearby stores.
The planned facility will herald the Bentonville, Arkansas, USA-headquartered company’s largest grocery distribution center to date and will move two times more product than a traditional grocery DC in addition to presenting new technology-focused job opportunities in the region.
“The high-tech grocery distribution center will include game-changing innovations that are radically disrupting the supply chain, getting products onto shelves for our customers even faster, while saving time for our associates,” said David Guggina, senior vice president in charge of automation and innovation at Walmart US. “We’re proud to be opening our largest automated grocery distribution center in Spartanburg County and look forward to bringing new STEM job opportunities to the region.”
Estimated to cost upwards of $450 million, the high-tech distribution center is part of a larger investment Walmart announced earlier this year to double down on the use of automation technology in its supply chain. The retailer unveiled its first automated grocery distribution center in 2018 and has since added a number of innovative solutions that reduce handling cost and improve service to stores and customers.
“Along with strengthening Spartanburg’s robust logistics sector, this significant investment by Walmart continues a pattern of Spartanburg being increasingly connected to the larger, nationwide economy. We’re excited to welcome yet another project with global connections to our county,” said David Britt, Spartanburg County Councilman and Chairman of the Economic Development Committee.
Walmart operates four distribution centers, 122 retail stores and employs 34,136 people in South Carolina.
