Walmart just figured out a way to get goods in its 5,000-plus US stores up to 5 days sooner - here's how the retail giant is implementing the new system

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Walmart just figured out a way to get goods in its 5,000-plus US stores up to 5 days sooner - here's how the retail giant is implementing the new system

Walmart grocery

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Walmart has more than 5,000 retail locations nationwide.

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  • Walmart has a complex supply chain to keep its 5,000-plus US retail locations stocked.
  • Greg Smith, executive vice president of supply chain at Walmart US, told Business Insider that Walmart will cut down its overall supply chain process by two to five days at a consolidation center opening in Colton, Calif. this summer.
  • It's one of several moves Walmart is making to implement automation in its supply chain.

There are two factors that Greg Smith, executive vice president of supply chain at Walmart US, keeps at the top of his mind when overseeing and innovating the retail giant's huge logistics network: improving precision and reducing costs.

"Not only are we trying to find ways to keep our costs lower, so we can continue to fulfill our mission of everyday low prices, but we're also looking to see how we can control the cycle times and the precision of that service," Smith told Business Insider.

"We want to be as efficient as we can from a cost standpoint, but we also as controlled as we possibly can on timing," he added.

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Read more: Walmart is quietly taking charge of its rail operations - and it could slash transportation costs as the country's largest retailer seeks to boost e-commerce profits

And when it comes to making sure Walmart's 5,000-plus US locations are fully stocked, Smith and his team have found a new way to ensure goods are getting to shelves more quickly than ever.

Walmart is opening a 340,000-square-foot consolidation center in Colton, Calif., about 57 miles east of Los Angeles, that will use automated technology to receive and process goods more quickly than its existing consolidation centers. The Colton center will shave two to five days off the fulfillment process, Smith said.

Walmart has ten consolidation centers nationwide. Those massive centers take products from suppliers, and then sort them to Walmart's 42 regional distribution centers. From those distribution centers, shipments go to Walmart stores.

consolidationcentergraphic v6 2

Courtesy of Walmart

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Right now, consolidation centers divide their orders from suppliers into 42 parts to correspond with the 42 different distribution centers. Walmart doesn't have to do that with its larger suppliers, but smaller companies and manufacturers need those orders split up.

But that process is unwieldy, and Smith said with new automated technology the orders don't need to be divided.

As Smith explained:

Historically where we would have 42 different orders, we'll have one consolidated order that will come to our automated receiving.

We will then dynamically allocate it based on our most recent information, then we will divide it into 42 different locations from there - but the supplier will have one order, one invoice, and one shipment to our location.

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Right now, Walmart's consolidation center in Desoto, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, is processing orders like this manually. This process will be implemented in the Colton center when it opens in July.

Then, Smith said, the new consolidation process will be implemented across Walmart's network.

Read more: UBS is now sounding the alarm on Amazon taking on UPS and FedEx - and analysts say the logistics giants have 'limited' tools to fight back

It's one of several automated processes Walmart is implementing in its supply chain to make sure goods arrive quickly in stores.

Last year, Walmart launched automatic inbound scheduling so that suppliers could arrange deliveries at Walmart grocery distribution centers without any back-and-forth. More than 97% of Walmart suppliers are now able to arrange deliveries through that new system.

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Smith said that will be expanded to regional distribution centers by the end of this year.

And a high-tech Walmart grocery distribution center, set to open in 2020 in Schafter, Calif., will be able to process 40% more goods.

"As we adapt to what our needs are in this faster and more precise supply chain, we've made a lot of changes this past year," Smith said.

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