Sam's Club Begins Rolling Out Automated Inventory Analytics Robots Nationwide; Todd Garner and Eugene Izhikevich Discuss
BENTONVILLE, AR - As shoppers peruse the aisles of their local Sam’s Club stores, they may find more than just a wide-range of products as the Walmart division has announced the rollout of automated inventory analytics robots nationwide. In partnership with Brain Corp and Tennant Company, the retailer has deployed this robotic fleet to provide inventory scans, improving overall efficiency.
“Sam’s Club is hyper focused on making sure our members have a seamless shopping experience, so any time-saving innovation we can implement is significant. By adding Inventory Scan to our current fleet of robotic scrubbers, we obtain critical inventory data that previously was time consuming to obtain,” said Todd Garner, Vice President of In Club Product Management at Sam’s Club. “This intelligence allows us to proactively manage our clubs in an efficient manner. Inventory Scan assures items are available and easy to locate in the club, freeing up time for our associates to focus on members and the shopping experience they deserve.”
This is one of the first commercial applications of Brain Corp’s inventory scanning technology, noted a press release. Utilizing dual function technology, scanning tools will be fitted to the almost 600 autonomous floor scrubber robots within Sam’s Club locations chain wide. The towers that are powered by Brain Corp’s AI operating system, BrainOS®, and manufactured by Tennant Company, combine autonomy and easy usage with trusted equipment for retailers.
Once the scanning accessories are installed on the scrubber, the new, cloud-connected Inventory Scan tower is able to capture data as it moves autonomously throughout Sam’s Club locations. Reports are later delivered to club managers providing insights such as verification of pricing accuracy, planogram compliance, product stock levels, and product localization. Overall, limiting manual processes while reducing waste and inventory loss.
“This latest iteration of our valued and longstanding partnership with Sam’s Club marks the beginning of realizing the next phase in our company's vision,” explained Dr. Eugene Izhikevich, Chief Executive Officer of Brain Corp. “We are actively taking BrainOS-powered robots from primarily task-oriented machines to in-store data acquisition platforms, able to deliver actionable insights on inventory availability, planogram compliance and more. This adds significant ROI for retailers.”
As one of the first commercial applications of this technology, where will we see it pop up next in the retail sphere and how will it impact Sam’s Club’s ROI? Stick with AndNowUKnow for details.
