IKEA has recently partnered up with self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics for deliveries from Baytown to Frisco according to a CBSDFW article. They say,

 

“Self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics has linked up with IKEA to start autonomous freight deliveries going from Baytown to Frisco.

 

The cooperation, which began on August 8, includes a Kodiak autonomous heavy-duty truck transporting products seven days a week between the IKEA Distribution Center in Baytown and the IKEA Store in Frisco.

 

The self-driving trucks by Kodiak include drivers behind the wheel who load the trailers in the mornings and oversee the delivery to the store by the afternoon.”

 

And of course, both IKEA and Kodiak are delighted to work with each other in the hopes of spearheading the progress and innovation of both the economy as well as the future of transportation according to a PRNewswire article from October 20. They say, 

 

“We are proud to be working with Kodiak to achieve our ambitious goals of being at the forefront of innovation and building capabilities for future transportation,” says Dariusz Mroczek, Category Area Transport Manager, IKEA Supply Chain Operations. “Kodiak’s technology will contribute towards our objective to put the driver in focus in the transition towards automated transportation and towards our road safety agenda.”

 

“IKEA and Kodiak share a commitment to putting safety first,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak Robotics. “Together we can enhance safety, improve working conditions for drivers, and create a more sustainable freight transportation system. Adopting autonomous trucking technology can improve drivers’ quality of life by focusing on the local driving jobs most prefer to do. We look forward to working with the IKEA carrier partners to bring these benefits to the IKEA supply chain.”

Commercial operations are to include those in Oklahoma City to Dallas as well as Atlanta and Dallas.