Months after Plainfield Walmart fire, company to open fulfillment center in McCordsville
More than a month after Walmart said it would not reopen a Plainfield fulfil center that closed after it was destroyed in a massive blaze, the company on Friday announced plans to open a high-tech, supersized fulfillment center northeast of Indianapolis in McCordsville.
The 2.2 million-square-foot facility, located at 5259 W. 500 N, would help the retailer ship orders faster, according to a news release. The facility is expected to produce 1,000 new jobs in Hancock County and would open in the spring 2023.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing this high-tech fulfillment center and more than 1,000 supply chain jobs to McCordsville and the Greater-Indianapolis area,” Karisa Sprague, senior vice president, supply chain e-commerce fulfillment at Walmart, said in the press release. “We continue to modernize our supply chain network and prepare for growth in our digital business."
Previously: Walmart fulfillment center will not reopen after destruction from massive fire in March
The "next generation" fulfillment center is one of four new high-tech facilities Walmart plans to open across the United States to get online orders to customers in speedier fashion. The company said it selected McCordsville for the facility because of its proximity to large metro areas, the availability of workers and the area's population growth.
Walmart said the technology at the fulfillment center would set a precedent in terms of the speed at which online orders are filled. The McCordsville facility will use automated technology that enables customers in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio to have next or two-day shipping for online orders.
'Everything is gone': As workers process Plainfield Walmart fire, IOSHA opens inspection
David Guggina, Walmart's senior vice president, automation, and innovation, said the center would use an automated storage system—a five-step process that would ultimately double the number of customer orders that can be filled in one day. The company did not release how many orders fulfillment centers can ship in one day.
A patent is pending on the five-step process, he said. Currently, Walmart has 31 fulfillment centers and 4,700 stores. Other next generation fulfillment centers will be located in Joliet, Illinois; Greencastle, Pennsylvania; and Lancaster, Texas.
'Our new next generation fulfillment center is a first-of-its-kind for Walmart that will transform the way we ship online orders to customers,” Guggina said in the news release.
Walmart employs 46,006 associates in Indiana. The company reported revenue of $141.6 billion in the first quarter of 2022, up from $138.3 billion one year before.
Contact IndyStar reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@gannett.com or call 317-617-2690. Follow her on Twitter: @allyburris.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: After Plainfield fire, Walmart to open mega warehouse in McCordsville
