Walmart Opens New Illinois Fulfillment Center

Walmart is continuing to bolster its supply chain, as the retailer announced the opening of its first of four new high-tech fulfillment centers.

First covered by Store Brands’ sister publication Progressive Grocer, Walmart has officially opened its first “next-gen” fulfillment center in Joliet, Ill., southwest of Chicago. The first of four centers that the retailer plans to construct over the next three years, this 1.1 million-square-foot site is set up for maximum efficiency, using advanced robotics and machine learning to cut down a manual 12-step process to a patent-pending five-step process.

The retail giant says that the new facilities will be able to provide 75% of the U.S. population with next- or two-day shipping. The centers will also be used to fulfill Marketplace items shipped for third-party e-commerce sellers, as part of the Walmart Fulfillment Services arm of the business.

The grand opening follows Walmart’s international supply chain expansion, marked by a new fulfillment center in Quebec, Canada.

Several company leaders and local government officials were on hand for the Sept. 28 grand opening of the fulfillment center at 3501 S. Brandon Road in Joliet. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Walmart representatives presented two $15,000 donations to local nonprofit organizations.

“Customers continue to expect faster delivery times and we are excited to be able to meet those needs with these new high-tech facilities,” said Karisa Sprague, SVP of fulfillment network operations for Walmart U.S. “The addition of the Joliet next generation FC, paired with our 31 dedicated e-commerce fulfillment centers, will allow Walmart to fulfill online orders for Walmart.com and Walmart+ customers with greater shipping speed in the midwest region. And, with the holidays around the corner, we’re excited to provide a more seamless experience for our customers."