According to reports, Walmart-owned e-commerce major Flipkart is going to invest over Rs. 3,600 crore in the next three years to set up three new giant automated fulfillment centers.

This includes one in Manesar which is under construction and two new ones, which would come up in South and West Bengal respectively.

The group has already set up one such big box facility in West Bengal at Haringhata which it claims is the largest such facility in Asia. The Manesar one will be operational in 2024.

Hemant Badri, senior vice president and head of supply chain, Flipkart says, “ These centers enables two times more storage space per square feet, 30-50 percent more efficient with lower capital and operating costs, and helps to reduce shipment times. These facilities will usually be 18 metres in height as compared to the usual 10-12 meters.”

“In the next 2-3 years, we will set up three more giant big box automated fulfillment centers in Manesar, one in the South for which we are finalizing the location, and one additional in Haringhata since we have more land. Each of these facilities will require Rs. 1200 crore to Rs. 1500 crore investment. In the next 3-5 years, there would be 4-5 such facilities,” adds Badri.

The company is gearing up for it by hiring over 50,000 people for supply chain and last mile and has scaled up supply chain infrastructure 2.5 times over pre-Covid. There is huge focus on same and next day deliveries for mobile phones, electronics and other top-selling categories, as per reports.

Badri says, “This year BBD will have groceries available in 10,000 pin codes as compared to 4,000 earlier. This will be the first BBD, where a large number of tier-II and tier-III cities will be able to experience e-grocery services.”