Walmart Commerce Technologies Launches AI-Powered Logistics Product
March 14 2024 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
Walmart aims to strengthen retail everywhere by
offering its proven tech to other businesses; Latest solution
enhances the efficiency of the middle mile, allowing businesses to
more consistently keep their customers’ desired products in
stock
For years, Walmart has used AI to create a more efficient supply
chain, reducing emissions while helping to ensure more of the items
its customers want are available where, when and how they want
them. Today, the company is making that same award-winning,
AI-powered logistics technology — Route Optimization —
available to all businesses as a Software as a Service (SaaS)
solution through Walmart Commerce Technologies.
“We have invested significant time, resources and operational
knowhow into building solutions like Route Optimization, but that
can be a barrier for many businesses,” said Anshu Bhardwaj, Senior
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Walmart Global Tech and
Walmart Commerce Technologies. “By adopting our at-scale,
AI-powered tech, businesses can eliminate the need and expense of
developing their own technology, and instead focus on what they do
best – serve their customers."
Route Optimization provides businesses of all sizes the use of
AI-driven software to optimize driving routes, pack trailers
efficiently and minimize miles traveled. Using this same custom
technology, Walmart avoided 94 million pounds of CO² by eliminating
30 million unnecessary miles driven and optimized routes to bypass
110,000 inefficient paths. Walmart won the prestigious Franz
Edelman Award in 2023 for building and deploying this technology at
scale.
Now, Walmart is offering Route Optimization to other businesses
to boost their own performance and make sure their customers can
find what they are looking for by:
- Better planning for a truck’s multi-stop journey –
AI-driven automated route mapping considers factors such as time,
location, and store delivery windows
- Packing trailers in the most efficient way possible —
not only maximizing space but also helping to ensure
temperature-controlled items stay fresh
- Ensuring stores receive deliveries on time, regardless
of external variables, by leveraging weather and traffic patterns
and quickly pivoting as needed
- Strategically planning inventory pickup (backhauls) on
return trips from deliveries to ensure trailers are never empty,
ensuring efficiency and a greener footprint
- Providing at-a-glance insights such as trailer usage,
trip time and distance traveled without cargo to help operations
management teams make faster, more informed decisions
Walmart has pioneered and scaled innovative omnichannel
technologies for more than a decade. Route Optimization is
Walmart’s second turnkey, white-label solution, joining Store
Assist, a SaaS technology that provides local fulfillment including
shipping, pickup and delivery.
About Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered
omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better -
anytime and anywhere - in stores, online, and through their mobile
devices. Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members
visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19
countries. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, Walmart
employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart
continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy,
and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart
can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at
facebook.com/walmart, on X (formerly known as Twitter) at
twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at
linkedin.com/company/walmart.
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Erin Hulliberger 1-800-331-0085;
https://corporate.walmart.com/news/contact-media-relations
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