Amazon announced plans to open a new million-square-foot, fulfillment center in Tracy, California, which the company says will create hundreds of full-time jobs with benefits at the site.

Retailers have been faced with big challenges, including the emergence of smartphone shopping and the continued e-commerce boom. It is no secret that today's e-commerce shoppers now expect to receive items quickly. Since retailers frequently offer comparable products at similar prices, speed of delivery is becoming an increasingly important factor for many online shoppers. This puts tremendous pressure on warehouse operators.

Wynright Corp., a vendor of intelligent material-handling systems, has introduced Visual Sort, a tool that allows for the tracking and restocking of returned inventory in distribution centers.

Savi Technology has introduced version 2.2 of the Savi Mobile Tracking System.

Tudespensa.com (Your Pantry), a Spanish online supermarket, delivers food, household cleaning supplies, toiletries and other products to customers throughout Spain, from its central warehouse located in Madrid. To ensure that the high volume of goods are delivered quickly, and at the scheduled time and place, its warehouse employs radio frequency identification to help it load ordered goods into the proper delivery vehicle and in the correct sequence, according to Jose Vicente Caballero, the logistics manager of DLR, a provider of controlled temperature-storage and order-picking services.