Walmart recently established its latest high-tech consolidation center in Illinois, marking a significant addition to its supply chain infrastructure. The 492,000 square-foot facility is expected to create almost 700 jobs and will utilize automated technology to handle three times more volume, enhancing efficiency and ensuring the right products reach stores when demand arises. Walmart’s consolidation centers are crucial when it comes to moving products quickly along their journey to store shelves and to customers. Each has the capacity to receive general merchandise items from suppliers in smaller freight loads, known in the industry as less-than-truckload (LTL), and consolidate them into larger freight loads known as truckloads (TL).
A new sea route from Cosco Shipping Lines became operational on Monday, as several global ocean carriers have initiated services targeting Asia-to-Mexico trade. In addition to Cosco, global ocean carriers Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM have launched services to tap into soaring container volumes and growing investment in Mexico by Chinese companies. Cosco Shipping Lines and its subsidiary OOCL’s new Transpacific Latin Pacific 5 (TLP5) line offer direct connections between China, South Korea, Japan and Mexico. TLP5 offers transit times of 15 and 20 days from Qingdao, China, to the ports of Ensenada and Manzanillo, Mexico, respectively. The service will utilize eight ships of 4,000 to 6,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. TLP5 launched with the 5,668-TEU vessel Xin Da Lian from Ningbo, China.
Hyundai delivered 30 of its fuel cell trucks to Northern California. The 30 Hyundai XCIENT Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks will hit the road as part of the NorCAL ZERO Project to push for emission-free freight transportation. Glovis America will operate the trucks around the Port of Oakland. FirstElement Fuel set up a hydrogen filling station in Oakland, where the trucks will be refueled. The station can support up to 200 H2 trucks per day by design. The fuel comes from project partner Air Liquide. The project is also known as “Zero-Emission Regional Truck Operations with Fuel Cell Electric Trucks.” It is led by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and kicked off in August 2021. It is funded with $29 million by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and The California Energy Commission (CEC) to purchase the above-mentioned hydrogen-powered trucks, infrastructure and maintenance facilities.
And finally, Kohl’s has become the latest retailer to enable same-day delivery via Instacart, allowing customers to have accessories, home goods, skincare and beauty items delivered in as fast as one hour from all 1,172 Kohl’s stores. Shoppers using the Kohl’s Instacart storefront can earn Kohl’s Rewards on these orders, which are priced the same for delivery and in-store purchase.
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the weekend and the song of the week, Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift.
The post This Week in Logistics News (May 4 – May 10) appeared first on Logistics Viewpoints.