Walmart Inc. announced on March 14 that it will sell its Route Optimization logistics technology, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), to other companies as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution through Walmart Commerce Technologies.
Anshu Bhardwaj, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Walmart Global Tech and Walmart Commerce Technologies, explained, “We have put a lot of time, resources, and expertise into developing solutions like Route Optimization, but this can be a hurdle for many businesses. By adopting our large-scale, AI-driven technology, businesses can avoid the need and expense of creating their own technology and focus on what they do best—serving their customers.”
Walmart’s Route Optimization software helps in planning driving routes efficiently, packing trailers effectively, and reducing unnecessary miles traveled. This has led to Walmart avoiding the emission of 94 million pounds of CO2 by eliminating 30 million unnecessary miles driven and finding better routes to avoid 110,000 inefficient paths. The company received the Franz Edelman Award in 2023 for successfully implementing this technology on a large scale.
Route Optimization is Walmart’s second pre-packaged, customizable solution, alongside Store Assist, a SaaS technology that facilitates local fulfillment services such as shipping, pickup, and delivery.
Source: Supplychainbrain
