Move to enhance delivery of quality products in third milk processing facility
Swisslog, a leading provider of best-in-class intralogistics warehouse automation and software, has announced that top US retailer Walmart will install a Swisslog automation solution within its Robinson, TX, facility to enable seamless material flow and increase uptime.
Walmart is planning to break ground on the milk processing facility later this year with the facility scheduled to open in 2026, according to a press release.
This is the third Walmart milk processing facility to deploy Swisslog’s automated storage and retrieval solution (ASRS) featuring SynQ software and Vectura cranes. The company worked with Swisslog to open its first milk processing facility in Fort Wayne, IN, in 2018. This facility served as a blueprint for its second facility in Valdosta, GA expected to open in 2025, as well as for the just announced Texas facility.
Reliance and transparency
According to Walmart, the ASRS continues the company’s commitment to building a more resilient and transparent supply chain to deliver high-quality products. It also will bolster the company’s capacity to meet consumer demand for milk. The products from the facility will serve more than 750 Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs throughout the South including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi.
Designed by Swisslog’s automation experts, the ASRS brings together five Vectura pallet stacker cranes with KUKA palletizing and de-palletizing robots, a ProMove pallet conveyor system, as well as a conveyor system for small loads. The automation solution operates on synchronized intelligence from Swisslog’s SynQ software, which provides warehouse management, material flow and automation control system functionality in a single, modular platform.
“This has been a very collaborative relationship as our two teams work together to create value for Walmart and ensure our automation solutions and software enable the company and its farmers to bring fresh, transparently sourced dairy to market,” observed Sean Wallingford, President and CEO, Swisslog Americas.
Optimizing flow
SynQ management software not only optimizes the flow of the equipment to increase efficiency and accuracy of the operation, but it also orchestrates the operation of multiple sub-systems. It equips warehouse automation and IT systems with synchronized intelligence of people, processes and machines to boost the efficiency and productivity of warehouse processes and adapt to changing market requirements, the press statement continued.
SynQ provides sophisticated inventory management and material flow capabilities that enable real-time inventory tracking and management of items to ensure freshness, quality and transparency of the food supply chain.
This project also includes Swisslog’s IT Managed Services, which puts in place experts to proactively manage the IT systems and software required to keep the equipment running at peak performance. The higher-level 24/7 support allows Walmart to free up internal resources from routine IT system administration, while also enabling data-driven proactive maintenance that helps reduce unplanned downtime.
