BENTONVILLE, AR - Fresh off an expansion project, Walmart hits headlines with another growth plan in the works. Recently, the retail chain announced it was bolstering its footprint with a new Texas distribution center. It looks like Joliet, Illinois; McCordsville, Indiana; and Greencastle, Pennsylvania, are on the company’s radar as Walmart revealed four high-tech, next-generation fulfillment centers (FC) will be opening over the next few years.

“Our new next-generation fulfillment center is a first-of-its-kind for Walmart that will transform the way we ship online orders to customers,” said David Guggina, Senior Vice President of Automation and Innovation at Walmart. “Through our automated storage system and patent-pending five-step process, we’ll not only provide increased comfort for associates, but also double the storage capacity and double the number of customer orders we’re able to fulfill in a day.”

The new 1.1 million-square-foot facility in Joliet, Illinois, is set to open in summer 2022, bringing more than 1,000 new jobs. Walmart’s second fulfillment center in McCordsville, Indiana, will be a sprawling 2.2 million-square-foot facility and is set to open in spring 2023, creating over 1,000 job positions. The Greencastle, Pennsylvania, FC will stand at 1.5 million square feet, and is set to open in 2024, also bringing more than 1,000 new jobs to the area.

As noted in the company’s release for each new facility, the FCs will implement state-of-the-art automation technology that provides customers and Walmart+ members with access to next- or two-day shipping on more items than ever before, setting an entirely new precedent for Walmart on the speed of fulfillment while continuing to create a positive work environment for associates.

“We continue to modernize our supply chain network and prepare for growth in our digital business, and this new facility will play an integral role in helping us serve even more customers and Walmart+ members with access to fast shipping on millions of items,” noted Karisa Sprague, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain E-commerce Fulfillment.

Guggina continued in a separate company post that these FCs were built in collaboration with Knapp, and the benefits of this technology are wide-ranging.

“Most impressively, these four next-generation FCs alone could provide 75 percent of the U.S. population with next- or two-day shipping on millions of items, including Marketplace items shipped by Walmart Fulfillment Services. Combined with our traditional FCs, we can reach 95 percent of the U.S. population with next- or two-day shipping, and by making use of the expansive reach of our stores, we can offer same-day delivery to 80 percent of the U.S. population,” Guggina wrote.

Stay tuned as we cover the retailer’s latest strategies and blueprints on ANUK.

Walmart