PepsiCo Piloting Automated Micro-Fulfillment Center
PepsiCo is piloting an automated micro-fulfillment center in Joliet, IL, in order to bolster its e-commerce capabilities.
The center will not only help it meet demand, but it will also provide learnings from working with its retail partners. Powered by automation supplier Dematic, it's expected to improve COVID safety, as well as expedite picking and reduce floor space costs.
Initial tests resulted in the No.3 consumer goods company servicing 7.5 times more units an hour than a traditional e-commerce warehouse operation.
Vince Jones, head of e-commerce at PepsiCo, said the center solidifies the company’s commitment to making the necessary investments to stay on top of growing online consumer demand.
PepsiCo, which began its e-commerce presence five years ago, also began exploring a direct-to-consumer model earlier this year. Its e-commerce segment nearly doubled last quarter.
"Through collaboration with our retail partners, we are creating an end to end solution that empowers us collectively to enhance our operations with applied insights,” said Jones. “The goal is getting PepsiCo products in consumers' hands and delivering more smiles as quickly as possible."
