We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • Parcel Forum 2022
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Walmart acquires its AS/RS provider to handle hot grocery demand

Walmart acquires its AS/RS provider to handle hot grocery demand

Buying Massachusetts startup Alert Innovation will help meet omnichannel fulfillment needs, retail giant says.

alert Screen Shot 2022-10-07 at 8.45.01 AM.png
October 7, 2022
Ben Ames
No Comments

Retail Giant Walmart has acquired the warehouse robotics firm that it has used since 2019 to automate the fulfillment of online grocery orders, one of the fastest growing e-commerce segments of the pandemic era.

Walmart bought Andover, Massachusetts-based Alert Innovation, a six-year-old startup which makes automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) products powered by robotic shuttles called Alphabots.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  

Arkansas-based Walmart first installed that product in 2019 at a “market fulfillment center” (MFC) in Salem, New Hampshire that it was adapting to handle soaring e-grocery demand. And by 2021, Walmart said it would expand that goods-to-person model to “dozens of locations, with many more to come,” fitting in to a fulfillment system alongside related technology from the system integrator Dematic and robotics startup Fabric.

Powered by that demand, Alert expanded in July to a bigger headquarters building within Massachusetts. At the time, company founder John Lert—namesake of the “Alert” name—said that his company’s fast growth was related to a trend for retail stores to evolve from hosting a basic self-serve shopping experience to doubling as e-commerce fulfillment sites that support same-day pickup and delivery offerings.

It was unclear whether Alert will continue to serve customers in the open market after its acquisition, but in a statement on Thursday, Lert implied it would serve only Walmart. “I am proud that Alert Innovation is one of the most innovative and capable automation companies in operation today. Our mission to improve people’s lives through innovation will now be dedicated to Walmart customers and associates which is an inspiring undertaking,” Lert said. 

Either way, the move is part of a trend toward serving customers in new ways, according to Walmart executive David Guggina, the company’s senior vice president of innovation and automation for Walmart U.S. “We are committed to exceeding customer expectations and serving them in new ways, whether it’s in a store, curbside, or at their home. Bringing the best of Alert’s technology and capabilities in-house will enable us to reach more customers quicker by deploying MFCs with greater speed, providing both an unmatched shopping experience and a competitive advantage in omnichannel fulfillment.”

 

 

Robotic Picking and Loading AS/RS/Shuttles
KEYWORDS Alert Innovation Walmart
  • Related Articles

    Alert Innovation jumps to expanded HQ site to meet hot demand for AS/RS

    Amazon acquires self-driving car startup as demand stays hot for autonomous delivery

    Price tag in AutoStore deal shows hot estimates for AS/RS sector growth

Benames
Ben Ames has spent 20 years as a journalist since starting out as a daily newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania in 1995. From 1999 forward, he has focused on business and technology reporting for a number of trade journals, beginning when he joined Design News and Modern Materials Handling magazines. Ames is author of the trail guide "Hiking Massachusetts" and is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.

Recent Articles by Ben Ames

Jungheinrich buys Indiana warehouse automation vendor for $375 million

Shipping groups back bipartisan trucking overhaul bill

Walmart boosts investment in GoLocal delivery-as-a-service platform

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Survey: top supply chain risk of 2023 is semiconductor shortage

  • Big and bulky last-mile delivery segment set for hot growth

  • Outlook 2023: What’s in store for logistics/supply chain?

  • Ports, maritime operators see tide turning as ocean freight tsunami subsides

  • In Person: Steve Beverly of Penske

Now Playing on DCV-TV

89cfed30 8aac 4284 960d c8c8c1886e16

Have you checked your read rate lately?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
No reads. Unaccounted for boxes. Boxes sent to the wrong place. A logistics nightmare! But this nightmare doesn’t have to come true. SICK’s linear line scan camera is what dreams are made of for your logistics operations. And if you’re worried about motion and vibration from conveyor belts...well, there’s no reason...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • The five best applications for robotic lift trucks in warehouse environments

  • Fulfillment Facility Improved Efficiencies by 4x

  • 3PLs: Complete Orders Faster with Flexible Automation

  • Reusable Packaging for the New Wave of Supply Chain Automation

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2023. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing