Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. and Symbotic Inc. announced a strategic agreement to deploy next-generation warehouse automation at AWG?s Gulf Coast Division Support Center in Pearl River, Louisiana. The project represents a significant step forward in strengthening operational efficiency, improving service reliability, and enhancing long-term supply chain resilience across AWG?s distribution network. AWG?s Gulf Coast Division Support Center currently handles over 22 million cases of dry grocery annually, using fully manual processes.
Increasing operational demands, coupled with challenges like labor retention in manual roles, rising equipment repair and distribution costs, weather-related disruptions, and capacity limitations, all require ongoing future investments. These factors prompted AWG to pursue a more scalable and resilient solution to support continued growth and improve service to the communities its member retailers serve.To address these challenges, AWG will deploy Symbotic?s high-density, end-to-end automation system across approximately 114,000 square feet of the existing facility. Once fully operational, the automated system is expected to handle nearly 19 million cases annually, significantly improving order accuracy, reducing product damage, increasing operational consistency, and creating additional capacity within the existing footprint.
From Symbotic?s perspective, the project reinforces the company?s commitment to reimagining the supply chain and transforming the movement of goods through intelligent automation ? all while bringing unparalleled value to the customer. Construction preparation and facility modifications are expected to begin in early 2027, followed by system installation, testing, and integration.
AWG anticipates the automated platform will go live in the fourth quarter of 2027.
