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Kroger adds robotics technology to Great Lakes distribution center

Knapp automated storage retrieval system part of 130,000-square-foot expansion

Russell Redman

July 2, 2021

2 Min Read
Kroger Great Lakes DC-Knapp robot shuttles.jpg
Kroger said its investment in Knapp’s automation technology will improve store replenishment efficiency at the Great Lakes distribution center.The Kroger Co.

The Kroger Co. is bringing automation from logistics technology provider Knapp to its Great Lakes distribution center in Delaware, Ohio.

Cincinnati-based Kroger said Friday that the DC will use a combination of Knapp order, storage and retrieval (OSR) shuttles that deliver grocery cases in sequence to Knapp’s RunPick robotic palletizers, adding “next generation” efficiency and performance to the grocer’s supply chain network.

The Great Lakes DC is currently being renovated for installation of the robotics technology, according to Kroger. Due to be completed this summer, the project will add 130,000 square feet to the facility, growing it to nearly 900,000 square feet.

Kroger Great Lakes DC-Knapp RunPick robotic palletizers.jpg

In the Knapp system, order, storage and retrieval shuttles deliver grocery cases to the solution provider’s RunPick robotic palletizers (above).

“Kroger’s investment in Knapp’s latest technology allows the Great Lakes distribution center to improve efficiency in replenishing our stores, enabling us to quickly deliver fresh food to our customers. The expansion of the facility is part of the ongoing transformation of our supply chain network, and this project will more than double our capacity while delivering innovation and scalability that can grow with demand,” Tony Lucchino, vice president of supply chain and network strategy at Kroger, said in a statement. “This collaborative project will allow us to better serve customers in the region,” he added.

Related:Kroger launches e-commerce delivery in Florida

Opened in 2003, the Great Lakes DC serves 115 Kroger Co. supermarkets in central and northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and the Ohio River Valley region.

“This transformation by Kroger will further improve the speed and service that the company delivers to its customers and reaffirms Delaware’s leading role in the region as a hub for logistics and distribution excellence,” stated Tom Homan, Delaware city manager.

Austria-based Knapp, which has its North American headquarters in Atlanta, provides intelligent intra-logistics solutions and specialized software for production, distribution and point-of-sale applications, serving such business sectors as, retail, food, health care, apparel, manufacturing, and e-commerce.

“The technology investment in the Great Lakes distribution center has been designed to add a new level of flexibility to the Kroger supply chain network and deliver a resilient approach to investments in automation,” Knapp CEO Josef Mentzer commented.

Recently in Ohio, Kroger launched the first of 20 planned Ocado-powered automated warehouses for filling online grocery orders. The 375,000-square-foot customer fulfillment center (CFC), located in Monroe and going into operation in April, uses artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and automation to enable more seamless and efficient fulfillment, picking and delivery. So far, Kroger has announced 10 Ocado CFCs. Besides the Monroe facility, they include locations in Groveland, Fla.; Forest Park, Ga.; Dallas; Frederick, Md.; Phoenix; Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; and Romulus, Mich., as well as two unspecified sites in the Pacific Northwest and West.

Related:Inside look at Kroger’s first Ocado robotic warehouse

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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