Walmart to Add Bots to 25 Distribution Centers Over the Next Few Years

Walmart Inc. WMT, +0.69% said Wednesday that it has partnered with robotics company Symbiotic to automate 25 regional distribution centers across the country over the next several years. Upgrades include the addition of “high-speed mobile bots” and “high-speed palletizing robotics” that will get items on shelves more quickly and keep down out-of-stocks, among other benefits. Walmart began working with Symbiotic in 2017 when the company optimized a distribution center in Brooksville, Fla. Retailers have taken tech-driven competition to the supply chain, upgrading distribution and fulfillment facilities in order to meet the demands of increased online shopping. Kroger Co. KR, +0.66% and Ocado Group OCDO, -2.99% opened their first hi-tech fulfillment center in April that also puts bots at the center of the effort to make the facility more efficient. Walmart stock has fallen 2.7% for the year to date while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.13% has gained 14.4% for the period.