Walmart launches autonomous grocery delivery in Houston
Walmart has announced that it will partner with Nuro, a robotics company, to launch a pilot project that will make autonomous grocery deliveries to consumers in Houston. The project will use a custom-built delivery vehicle, Nuro’s R2, which is designed to only carry the products, alongside autonomous Toyota Priuses that will deliver the groceries.
The aim is for Walmart to learn more about how autonomous delivery works and how the service could be improved for consumers. However, this is not the first time that Walmart has undertaken a pilot project to enable autonomous grocery delivery. Over the last two years, the company has also conducted several other pilot projects including a test with Ford and Postmates.
In a statement Walmart’s SVP of digital operations, Tom Ward, said “we’ve been test driving a number of different options for getting groceries from our stores to customer’s front doors through self-driving technology”. He continued that Walmart believes that autonomous driving technology is “a natural extension of our Grocery Pickup and Delivery”.
To read more about the pilot, click here.
Agreement on a revised USMCA
State representatives from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. have signed a revised version of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The revised agreement contains enhanced labor and environmental protections called for by members of the U.S Congress.
The deal, which is the replacement for NAFTA, is supported by the business community due to the potential for a smoother customs process and streamlined shipments. A study conducted by the International Trade Commission (ITC) found that the benefits of the agreed USMCA deal would be seen in the automotive, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. This is because these industries represent a significant proportion of U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico.
The agreement must still be ratified by the U.S. Congress before it can be implemented. However, U.S Chamber of Commerce CEO, Thomas J. Donohue, remains optimistic that the final approval could be given “by the end of the year”.
Click here to read more.
Research: The Supply Chain could be the key to drastically reduce emissions
More renewable energy in the supply chain could drastically reduce emissions according to new research released by CPD. The research, which was conducted for the Changing the Chain report, analyzed environmental data from 7,000 suppliers including those which supplied Walmart, L’Oréal and Samsung Electronics. It found that if the key suppliers to 125 of the world’s biggest corporate purchasers increase their proportion of renewable energy by 20%, a gigaton (one billion metric tons) of emissions savings could be made.
The research also found that only 4% of the analyzed suppliers reported having a 2019 renewable energy target. In a bid to try and tackle this, 31 major companies including Accenture and Signify are actively engaging with suppliers to source more renewable energy. Alongside this, companies such as the LEGO Group and the BT Group have also committed to source 100% renewable energy in their own operations.
For more information and the opportunity to read the full report click here.
Have a lovely weekend!
