Walmart is adding Symbotic robots to warehouses across the country – By Brian Heater (Techcrunch) / May 23, 2022
The push behind the massive influx of warehouse robotics funding is largely driven by one entity: Amazon. There are other factors driving the industry, of course, including the pandemic, labor shortages and supply chain constraints, but Amazon is forever looming in the corner, forcing companies to adopt creative and innovative ways to remain competitive. Not even a force of nature like Walmart is immune.
While Amazon has a head start in this department, dating back to its 2012 purchase of Kiva Systems, Walmart has been working aggressively on automation in recent years — though its own track record has been a bit spotty, most notably in the case of Bossa Nova, which has gone quiet since the company abandoned its shelf-scanning systems.
Massachusetts-based Symbotic has had considerably better luck. Late last year, the company announced its intentions to go public via SPAC, in large part based on momentum from an ongoing deal with Walmart that brought its warehouse robotics to 25 of the mega-retailer’s distribution/fulfillment centers. Today, the pair announced an expansion of the deal that will install Symbotic systems into all of Walmart’s distribution centers in the U.S. — that’s 42 in all.
