PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from July 13.
This month, Walmart will be opening a new high-tech consolidation center in Lebanon, Pa., the company announced on Wednesday.
The 400,000 square-foot facility will create an estimated 1,000 new jobs for Central Pa. residents, five hundred of which have been filled already.
Once the center is up-and-running, it will enable three times more volume to flow and help Walmart ensure that the right products are going to the right stores using automated technology, according to a statement from the company. The Lebanon center, located at 1625 Heilmandale Road, will service all 42 regional distribution centers across the United States.
This center in Lebanon is only the second of its kind, the other being located in Colton, Calif. and opened in 2019.
Consolidation centers are significant, according to Walmart, because they serve a specialized role in moving products quickly on their journey to store shelves, and ultimately, the customer. Each center has the ability to receive merchandise from suppliers in smaller freight loads, and consolidate them into larger freight loads. After that, the product is shipped to regional distribution centers where it is sorted for distribution to stores.
Prior to the opening of this new facility in Lebanon, suppliers would have to ship merchandise to all 42 regional distribution centers.
“We’ve made continued investments in our people, facilities and technology to ensure we have the right product, in the right place, at the right time,” Mike Gray, senior vice president of Supply Chain Operations at Walmart said in a statement. “As part of these investments, the Lebanon facility will provide even more opportunities for small to medium sized suppliers who do not ship nationwide, and the ability to provide product to all 4,700 Walmart stores.”
Walmart hopes to have the Lebanon facility service fulfillment centers in the near future.
To apply for a job at the new Lebanon consolidation center, click here.