Toronto, Ontario – A partnership deal signed by Loblaw Companies Ltd. will see them team up with technology company Gatik to test autonomous delivery vehicles in Toronto come January.
The multi-year agreement will have Gatik transport goods from an automated picking center to various retailers across the GTA. The tech company will also provide and operate five Ford Transit 350 box trucks that will be outfitted with refrigeration units, lift gates and its autonomous self-driving software designed for urban, suburban and highway driving.
“As more Canadians turn to online grocery shopping, we’ve looked at ways to make our supply chain more efficient. Middle-mile autonomous delivery is a great example,” said Lauren Steinberg, Senior Vice President, Loblaw Digital. “With this initial roll-out in Toronto, we are able to move goods from our automated picking facility multiple times a day to keep pace with PC Express online grocery orders in stores around the city.”
Each vehicle will have a safety driver as co-pilot and are set to be employed for up to seven days a week, 12 hours a day on five different routes with designated pick-up and drop-off locations.
This agreement comes after a successful 10-month on-road pilot in Toronto with just one autonomous delivery vehicle.
Gatik was founded in 2017 by veterans of the autonomous technology industry and has established offices in Palo Alto and Toronto. To date, Gatik has completed more than 30,000 revenue-generating autonomous orders for multiple customers across North America.
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