Walmart Locating Two New High-Tech Supply Chain Facilities In Texas

The Automated Fulfillment Center and Automated Grocery Distribution Center will create approximately 1,000 supply chain jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Walmart will build two new high-tech facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to support the retailer’s growing supply chain network: a 1,500,000-square-foot automated fulfillment center set to open in 2023, and 730,000-square-foot automated grocery distribution center set to open in 2024. The new Lancaster, TX-based facilities will be among Walmart’s largest automated fulfillment and distribution centers and create approximately 1,000 full-time jobs across the region; 40 percent of the new jobs created will require STEM skills to support technical positions.

supply chain
(Image: Walmart)

The facilities will play a critical role in Walmart’s supply chain to deliver on the retailer’s promise to get customers the items they want when they want them. Through the combination of Walmart associates and automation technology, the high-tech facilities will move more than two times the volume of a traditional fulfillment and grocery distribution center all while improving the accuracy, quality and speed of the fulfillment and distribution of products.

“Walmart is excited to welcome two new high-tech facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to our expanding supply chain network,” said Joe Metzger executive vice president, supply chain operations at Walmart U.S. “These high-tech facilities will include game-changing innovations that are radically disrupting the supply chain, getting products onto store shelves and items shipped to our customers even faster, while saving time for our associates.”

“We are making a significant investment in this region because of the inclusive, diverse and qualified pipeline of local talent that reflect Walmart’s values,” said Karissa Sprague, SVP of supply chain human resources at Walmart U.S. “Our investment in technologies and high-tech facilities today pave the way for jobs of the future that are supported by automation and will allow opportunities for an upskilled workforce.”

Walmart’s high-tech facilities are part of a larger investment the retailer announced earlier this year to double down on the use of automation technology in its supply chain. It comes just months after the retailer announced its plans to add automation in more than half of its regional distribution centers and automated market fulfillment centers in select stores. The retailer has also made investments in drones and autonomous vehicles to support last mile deliveries.

“I, along with my colleagues on the Lancaster City Council, are excited to be working with Walmart as they construct two facilities simultaneously within our community,” said Clyde C. Hairston, Mayor of the City of Lancaster. “We look forward to this project bringing more than 1,000 new jobs and helping boost our local economy with an increased daily population. This is a true example of my philosophy that “Positive, progressive partnerships, produce prosperity for all. ‘Working together in a collaborative atmosphere always benefits the whole.”

“Walmart continues to bring economic viability to the fastest-growing industrial area in the country. We are glad that this new facility will anchor in the Dallas County Inland Port area. This investment is a boon for both Southern Dallas County and Northern Ellis County,” said John Wiley Price, Dallas County Commissioner.

Walmart operates 19 distribution centers, 593 retail stores and employs more than 171,000 associates in Texas.

NWH To Relocate HQ To Frisco

Northwest Hardwoods (NWH) will relocate its head office, currently in Tacoma, WA, to Frisco, TX. The creation of a centralized head office where functions are co-located will better position the company for long-term success.

Northwest Hardwoods
(Image: Frisco Economic Development Corporation)

“This is an important move for our company as we position for long term growth, and increasingly focus on delivering a world class customer experience,” said NWH’s CEO Nathan Jeppson.

This relocation is focused on NWH’s corporate and functional teams, with commercial teams, resource and lumber buyers and all those who need to be in local markets across the globe unaffected. There will also be no impact on the company’s manufacturing footprint. In the near term, NWH’s offices in Beachwood, OH and Tacoma, WA will remain open.

Upon completion of the relocation in the coming months, NWH will have increased efficiencies and collaboration, which will improve the quality and service levels and enhance the communication and connectivity the market can expect from Northwest Hardwoods.

“We are thrilled to welcome Northwest Hardwoods to Frisco as a market leader in their industry,” said Jason Ford, president, Frisco Economic Development Corporation. “Frisco continues to be one of the top destinations in the nation for out-of-state corporate headquarters relocations because of Frisco’s pro-business culture and top tier lifestyle amenities.”

NWH is the largest U.S. manufacturer of North American hardwood lumber based on sawmill capacity, with a current estimated annual hardwood lumber capacity of approximately 320 million board feet. Its North America operations include 19 facilities that produce over 20 species of domestic hardwoods. The company serves more than 2,000 active customers across over 60 countries.

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