Waltham, Mass. — On December 7, 2021, Jewel-Osco unveiled the company’s first micro fulfillment center (MFC) at the Westmont store in Chicago. The 20,000-square-foot MFC facility allows for a seamless shopping experience for customers by pairing a brick-and-mortar store with home delivery through artificial intelligence.
The micro fulfillment center is an automated rack and tote system that prepares orders for delivery through a partnership with Waltham, Mass.-based grocery technology company Takeoff Technologies. More than 6,000 totes of product are shuttled from their allotted space inside Takeoff and elevators move the totes to a decanting area where the groceries are then sorted. Product from the adjacent Jewel-Osco is also coupled with MFC items to complete the order.
The product heads to picking stations where Jewel-Osco associates or “pickers” will fill up to four orders at once, speeding up the order fulfillment process. Robots move the completed orders to a separate area for associates to grab and deliver to Drive Up & Go (DUG) customers, or third-party delivery services Door Dash, Shipt and Point Pick Up.
“As part of our broader strategic partnership with Albertsons, we are honored to have worked with Jewel-Osco to introduce the first ever micro fulfillment center to the Chicago area,” says Max Pedró, CEO and co-founder of Takeoff Technologies. “Our solution makes online fulfillment faster and more affordable, so that our partners can pass those benefits along to their shoppers.”
Takeoff offers an automated technology solution that empowers grocers to thrive online. The key is micro fulfillment centers: small, robotic warehouses that can be placed inside grocery stores, and close to end shoppers. Takeoff provides a comprehensive solution that includes software, hardware, consulting, maintenance and ongoing partnership support, so retailers can easily integrate the solution into their existing businesses. Takeoff has dozens of operational micro fulfillment centers in place, with many more to follow in the upcoming years. Takeoff has partnerships with Albertsons, Ahold Delhaize, Wakefern, Loblaws, Woolworths, Majid Al Futtaim/Carrefour, AWG, Big Y and Sedano’s, with additional domestic and international partners to be disclosed shortly. For more information, visit www.takeoff.com.
SOURCE: Takeoff Technologies