A few days ago, Kimberly-Clark (KC) announced the company's largest US expansion in more than 30 years (USD 2 billion).
And all the attention went to the new facility in Ohio. But I would like to highlight another piece of information from the announcement: “direct-ship”, from the new Regional Distribution Center in Beach Island. I will consider this as a reference to shipping directly to consumers.
A few years ago, an industry like KC would never have considered this type of operation, as the number of employees, space requirements, and complexity would have presented unimaginable challenges for the company.
However, today, supported by the announced advanced robotics, AI-powered logistics systems, and high-density automated storage, the ability to direct-ship goods to consumers is a reality. This could disrupt the market. KC will not only capture the margins previously earned by distributors and retailers but also gain access to a goldmine: consumer behavior, purchase preferences, and other valuable data currently held by companies like Amazon and Walmart.
We all enjoy dog-like robots and AI tools that can create cat pictures. However, the real revolution enabled by these new technologies might be simpler—and more meaningful.
About the Author
Marcello Collares
Sales, Strategy, New Business -
Vice President at Fisher International, Inc.
