Amazon Prime Air Heads from CA to AZ
Amazon Prime Air Heads from CA to AZ
Walmart retools robotics strategy, ART kiosks head to Sodexo sites, Pipedream raises
We’ve got big news from both Amazon and Walmart this week, as the top dogs of retail rethink their robotics. Plus: new deployments, fresh capital, and more!
Amazon Doubles Down on Drones in AZ
Amazon Prime Air, the ecommerce giant’s drone delivery initiative, is headed to the Phoenix metro area, with service to launch later this year. The company will deploy drones from facilities next to its Same-Day Delivery site in Tolleson, AZ, about 12 miles west of Downtown Phoenix. This is a smaller, hybrid site—part fulfillment center, part delivery station. Amazon is also ending its drone operations in Lockeford, CA, after less than two years of operations. The company also announced its conducting flight tests on its new MK30 drone, which features double the flight range of its current model.
Walmart Milks the Robot
Moving from one retail giant to the other… Walmart announced plans to automate a new milk processing facility, currently slated to open in Robinson, Texas in 2026. The Swisslog-designed automated storage and retrieval solution (ASRS) integrates five pallet stacking cranes, palletizing and de-palletizing machines, a pallet conveyor, and an additional conveyor system for smaller loads. Walmart is also rethinking its self-checkout systems, with some stores losing the lanes, while others set them to only be available to Walmart+ subscribers or Spark delivery workers during peak hours.
Pipedream Labs Raises $13M
Underground delivery network startup Pipedream Labs just dug up a fresh $13 million in venture funding. The round was led by Starship Ventures, with participation from Cortado Ventures, Myelin Ventures and more. Pipedream plans to use the capital to scale deployment of its Instant Pickup system, which it claims to have 100 preorders for. Instant Pickup enables businesses to quickly move items from their back-of-house storage or prep areas to a pickup kiosk in a nearby parking lot, enabling faster handoff for couriers or customers retrieving pre-ordered items.
ART Robotic Kiosks Head to Sodexo Facilities
Foodservice giant Sodexo announced a new partnership with Automated Retail Technologies (ART) to deploy thousands of the latter company’s hot food robotic kiosks across Sodexo-served facilities across the U.S. ART produces the Just Baked Smart Bistro kiosks, which feature giant cinnamon rolls, White Castle Cheeseburger Slider 4 packs, bao buns, breakfast sandwiches, and more.
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