Walmart plans next-gen fulfillment center in Georgia
Walmart continues expanding its high-tech supply chain facility model.
The discounter has announced the location for its next high-tech, next-generation fulfillment center. The new 1.5 million-sq.-ft. automated facility will be located at the Franklin 85 Logistics Center in Carnesville, Ga. Walmart expects the hub will create 1,000 new jobs and bring $1.3 billion in investment to Franklin County, Ga. Construction is expected to begin in late 2026.
[READ MORE: Walmart unveils next-gen fulfillment center model]
Walmart’s presence in Georgia includes 209 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, as well as 11 supply chain facilities, employing more than 65,300 associates across the state. The retailer says it also spent more than $26.2 billion with Georgia suppliers and supported more than 167,600 supplier jobs in fiscal year 2025.
Walmart’s next gen fulfillment center model – a closer look
The first state-of-the-art Walmart fulfillment location opened in summer 2022 in Joliet, Ill., servicing customers across Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. That location was followed by next-generation facilities that opened in McCordsville, Ind., Lancaster, Texas, and Greencastle, Penn. Walmart intends to open another center in Stockton, Calif., in 2026.
The high-tech order fulfillment system, developed in partnership with intelligent automation technology provider Knapp, operates following five steps:
- Unload: Sellers and suppliers send merchandise in cases to a fulfillment center. As the cases arrive, associates unload the trailers and place cases onto a conveyor belt where they’re routed to receiving.
- Receive: At receiving, an associate breaks the case apart and places the individual items into a tote. The tote is fed into a massive, automated storage system where a shuttle transports it to one of millions of designated locations. The storage system is designed to account for every square-inch, spanning from floor to ceiling in a custom-built structure designed to hold the inventory.
- Pick: When a customer places an online order, the system goes into action, retrieving their items and shuttling the needed totes to an associate at a picking station. According to Walmart, previously associates would have walked up to nine miles per day, picking items from multiple floors of shelving spread out over hundreds of thousands of square feet of space.
- Pack: Simultaneously, a custom box is created to fit the exact measurements of the order. In the pack area, Walmart estimates associates can assemble up to four orders at once and send packages to be shipped in less than 30 minutes after the customer clicks to order.
- Ship: The completed order is then automatically taped, labeled, and routed to its designated zone, where it’s then shipped to its final destination.
The retailer says it is strategically locating these fulfillment centers to pair most effectively with its 4,700 stores and 210 distribution centers to get orders to customers fast and efficiently.
“As customer expectations continue to evolve, investments like our new fulfillment center in Carnesville help us deliver the speed, convenience, and reliability customers count on,” said Karisa Sprague, senior VP, supply chain, Walmart U.S. “We’re excited to join the Carnesville community and create meaningful career opportunities where associates can grow and build their future with Walmart.”
Based in Bentonville, Ark., Walmart Inc. operates more than 10,900 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.
