Loblaw testing autonomous grocery vehicles in bid to conquer supply chain’s ‘middle mile’
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Gatik, which was founded in 2017 and also has offices in Toronto, operates a fleet of light and medium-duty trucks and focuses on short-haul business to business logistics for retail clients including Walmart.
The firm, which just raised $25 million in Series A funding, said it is capitalizing on trends including rapidly increasing e-commerce sales and a shortage of drivers — both of which have left businesses “struggling to meet the expectations of an increasingly on-demand economy.”
The service is marketed as a way to reduce labour costs, meet demand for contactless delivery, and enhance inventory pooling across multiple locations.
“By automating this segment of the supply chain, we’re able to reduce costs, keep delivery times short and address an unprecedented need for contactless delivery,” Narang said.
“We’ve seen a 30 to 35 per cent spike in orders since the onset of COVID-19, and we expect this trend to continue into 2021 and beyond.”
Financial Post
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