Listen to this article

A drawing of the facility that will be opening later in 2022 and will be equipped with GreyOrange robots. | Source: Walmart Canada

Walmart Canada is investing $118 million in a new fulfillment center equipped with GreyOrange robots. The fulfillment center will be located in Rocky View County, Alberta, outside of the Calgary area. Walmart said the new center will allow it to expand two-day shipping to 61% of Canadians.

The 430,000-square-foot facility will open in September 2022. The facility will be equipped with GreyOrange’s robotic technology, which is expected to speed up order fulfillment. The robots will help employees store, pick and sort items within the facility. 

“We are excited to be bringing a new high-tech fulfillment centre to the Calgary area,” Patricio Dallan, senior vice president of omni supply chain, Walmart Canada, said. “Our customers deserve the best experience when they shop with us and this investment will help us deliver more items to more households quicker than ever before. We are proud to be investing for growth in Western Canada while improving our supply chain to deliver for Canadians.”

While the fulfillment center will be the first time Walmart Canada puts GreyOrange robots to work, it’s not a first for Walmart as a whole. In October 2020, Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Walmart, opened a fulfillment center in Perris, California that uses GreyOrange robots. 

GreyOrange’s Ranger series of robots were made to make fulfillment centers more productive. There are four robots in the series, the Ranger Assist, a person-to-goods robot, the Ranger GTP, a goods-to-person robot, the Ranger IL, which specializes in DC interzon transport and the Ranger MoveSmart, a conveying and sorting robot. 

The new Alberta center will be able to ship more than 20 million items annually. The facility can store up to 500,000 items. 

“We are tremendously proud to be investing in a new fulfillment centre in the Calgary area that will create jobs, boost the economy and deliver quicker service for our customers,” said Horacio Barbeito, President and CEO, Walmart Canada. “This modern facility will provide our associates with the latest logistics technology to improve our supply chain. That means more products available, more orders fulfilled and more Canadians offered two-day shipping. This is how we’re transforming our operations to meet the needs of Albertans and all Canadians.”

The investment is part of Walmart Canada’s $3.5 billion investment to make online and in-store shopping faster and more convenient for shoppers. 

GreyOrange was an RBR50 Innovation Award winner in 2021 for its collaboration with Vicarious. The companies launched a fully autonomous order picking solution.