A Massachusetts automation company has announced its intention to dismiss hundreds of employees in an installation that it bought from Walmart earlier this year.
Symbiotic LLC, based in Wilmington, which develops automated warehouse technology, will remove 400 jobs on the site of Andover by June 27, according to a Massachusetts recycling notice Placed to the State on April 29.
Symbiotic has acquired the Andover Robotics unit of Walmart for $ 200 million, according to a January 16, 2025, press releaseAnd up to an additional $ 350 million in the future, as part of a continuous relationship between the two companies, which started in 2017.
The automation company said at the time that it would develop a new technology of the supply chain to provide “accelerated collection and delivery options” for Walmart customers.
In turn, Walmart has agreed to deploy symbiotic technology in at least 400 of its stores in the coming years, paying $ 520 million to the company.
According to the company, layoffs are part of the combination symbiotic process of the robotics unit with its own existing operations.
“Although decisions (dismissal) as these are always difficult, we have made them follow an in-depth examination after the closure of our operations to ensure that we are best placed for the future with an effective structure to continue to execute our long-term growth strategy,” the company said in a statement. “We appreciate the contributions of affected employees and we are committed to treating each employee respectfully during this change.”
