GREENCASTLE, PA—Walmart has announced plans to open a new 1.5 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Greencastle, PA, designed with advanced ergonomics to enhance employee comfort. This development comes as the retail giant prepares to close an existing center in Pedricktown, NJ, in June.
The new site is several hours away from the New Jersey location and according to a New Jersey WARN notice, 271 employees will be losing their jobs in New Jersey.
The new facility in Pennsylvania will require about 1,000 workers, though the company currently faces a shortfall in meeting this staffing requirement. To encourage relocation, Walmart is offering employees from the New Jersey center a $7,500 bonus along with covered relocation expenses.
At the Greencastle location, employees will benefit from ergonomically designed workstations, reducing the need for physical exertion by having products come to the workers. This innovative system contrasts sharply with the old center, where workers reportedly walked up to nine miles per shift.
The facility will incorporate robotics and machine learning to boost order fulfillment speed and efficiency, which Walmart claims will help keep consumer prices low.