Kroger provides autonomous delivery in Dallas alongside Gatik
Gatik, an autonomous middle-mile logistics provider, announced a multi-year commercial collaboration to transport customer orders within Kroger’s Dallas distribution network.
Under the collaboration, Gatik’s medium-duty autonomous box trucks will transport products from a Kroger Customer Fulfillment Center in Dallas to multiple retail locations.
Gatik’s trucks each feature a cold chain-capable 20’ foot box designed to transport ambient, refrigerated and frozen goods safely and efficiently. The collaboration involves consistent, repeated delivery runs multiple times per day, seven days per week across Kroger’s Dallas distribution network, while unlocking the advantages of autonomous delivery for Kroger’s customers: Increased speed and responsiveness when fulfilling e-commerce orders, reduced costs and dedicated capacity across the supply chain’s middle mile. The operations will launch in Q2, 2023.
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“Kroger’s commitment to redefining service levels for its customers through innovative technology meant that our collaboration came together very quickly,” said Gautam Narang, co-founder and CEO of Gatik. “We’re deeply familiar with operating our autonomous fleet within the Dallas ecosystem, and we’re very excited to bring that experience to support Kroger in its mission to reshape the future of goods delivery.”
“We are so excited to see Gatik trucks starting to deliver groceries throughout our Dallas division,” said Raúl Bujalil, vice president of supply chain strategy and technology enablers. “These autonomous box trucks will help us continue our commitment to creating a seamless shopping experience—where customers can access their favorite fresh foods, with zero compromise on value or convenience.”
Gatik will help support Kroger by meeting customers’ immediate needs whether they shop online or in-store, providing access to goods faster and more reliably than ever before, the company said.
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Since launching commercial operations in 2019, Gatik has delivered half a million customer orders, leveraging its commercial-grade autonomous technology to transport freight safely and efficiently on the middle mile. Gatik provides Autonomous Transportation as a Service daily for customers across multiple markets including Arkansas and Ontario, and is continuing to densify its commercial presence in the state of Texas to meet customer demand.