Walmart Canada says robots are coming to two warehouses in Ontario, but the jobs aren't dangerous

In a Calgary warehouse roughly the size of eight football fields, an army of robots roams around carrying large quantities of goods for Walmart Canada customers.

Some robots move around a large facility carrying pallets of goods with their cargo trucks. Another, which looks like a giant hand, moves pallets onto conveyor belts. The third group is signifiers.

Together, they cut the time it takes to get products from trailers to the facility by 90 percent, and their boss, Walmart Canada, hopes that's just the beginning. He plans to spend the next five years in Mississauga and Cornwall, Ont. plans to bring robots to its distribution centers.

“We're very excited about what we've done in Calgary and we're excited to expand it and bring it to our other sites,” said Matt Kelly, Walmart Canada's vice president of supply chain.

It's not hard to see why companies, including Walmart, are obsessed with robots.

Robots don't grumble about tasks and aren't subject to union or government policies that limit working hours or the weight of loads they can carry. You don't need to offer them overtime, time off, or benefits, even though they may have to stop for updates, maintenance, and recharging.

According to Kelly's employees, the robots have improved safety and ergonomics by improving load-throwing capabilities — warehouse lingo for moving goods — and reducing repetitive stress and injuries.

“Every partner in our supply chain has the right to go home to their families at the end of the day without any injuries, cuts, scrapes, scrapes, scratches or anything worse,” Kelly said.

Lisa Amlani, founder of Retail Strategy Group, sees benefits for shoppers, too.

“Consumers today expect more from the brands they buy,” he wrote in an email.

“Implementing the right technology can save the retailer a lot of money that can be passed on to the customer as savings.”

However, experts have long predicted that the rise of robots will threaten jobs.

Statistics Canada estimated that in 2020, 10.6 percent of Canadian workers were at high risk of seeing their jobs replaced or replaced by robots in 2016, while 29.1 percent faced moderate risk.

The risk was even higher for those over 55, with no post-secondary credentials, or with low literacy and numeracy skills.

Kelly says Walmart's robots haven't eliminated the need for workers. In fact, when it announced plans to build a $118 million Calgary distribution center in 2022, it said the facility would create 325 new jobs.

“We need the human element in terms of surveillance and security,” Kelly said.

“What we want our partners to focus on is the critical thinking elements that are always there to solve problems and run a good, secure supply chain.”

Some companies that rely on robots have even expanded their ranks. Statistics Canada found that between 1996 and 2017, firms that invested in robots did more, not less.

Companies that have invested in robotics include grocer Sobeys Inc. enters, he runs a Vaughan, Ont., facility where robots deliver boxes to workers who pick up the right amount of products.

Pizza Hut is also using autonomous robots to make deliveries in Vancouver, and RC Coffee robots are pumping out espressos and lattes in two minutes in Toronto.

Stratview Research projects that the increase will drive the value of the global robotics retail market to US$105.95 billion by 2029.

Some of that value could come from camera-enabled drones and smart glasses that guide warehouse workers to goods, McKinsey & Co. thought. in the 2020 report.

Kelly didn't say what other innovations are on his radar, but before Walmart implements the technologies, he will spend months, if not years, carefully researching and testing the devices to make sure they can handle the dizzying array of products.

“(It has) many types, shapes, sizes. It comes in different streams,” Kelly said. “It has different temperatures and different regimes that we have to follow.”

Although he insists Walmart isn't comparing its technology to competitors, there are big competitors using robotics.

“Amazon is a great example of driving efficiency using technology,” Amlani said.

“Robots are used in warehouses for stock picking and inventory management. Drones are used for delivery, and in-store robots are used for product information and discovery.”

In such a competitive environment, complacency is not an option for Walmart. The company said more robots will follow in its upcoming Ontario outfits.

But ask Kelly what kind of technology he dreams of having, and he says instead, “The Holy Grail is that we keep innovating.”

“We're always looking for supply chain technologies that enable our partners to ensure products are on the shelf at the right time, in the right amount, in the right place,” Kelly said.