Walmart Inc. named a company veteran to lead the expansion of drones and other new technologies for the big-box retailer to bring products to shoppers.
Greg Cathey will serve in the new position of senior vice president of digital fulfillment transformation, according to a memo viewed by Bloomberg News. He was previously helping to lead Walmart’s supply chain and delivery strategy.
In the new role, Cathey will oversee and accelerate the development of next-generation technologies, including automated pickup and delivery.
New technologies are “critical” to the retailer’s competitive advantage, Kieran Shanahan, Walmart’s chief operating officer for the US, wrote in the memo.
Cathey has spent more than three decades at Walmart, where he started as an hourly worker. He also served as chief executive officer of Sam’s Club Mexico.
The world’s largest retailer is looking to deliver goods to shoppers faster and more efficiently and has added automation across its warehouses. The company has said that demand for quick deliveries has ramped up, and consumers have been willing to pay more for it.
Walmart announced drone delivery in five new cities earlier this year, building on its existing operations in northwest Arkansas and Dallas-Fort Worth.
A Walmart spokeswoman declined to comment.
Written by: Jaewon Kang @Bloomberg
The post “Walmart Creates Role to Lead Drone and Autonomous Delivery Tech” first appeared on Bloomberg