SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Walmart has announced plans for a large fulfilment center in central Pennsylvania that the company says will bring as many as 600 permanent full-time jobs to the area.

Walmart said the 1.8 million-square-foot-plus facility in Franklin County's Southampton Township near Shippensburg is scheduled to open in the spring of this year.

Fulfillment centers store millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped directly to customers, unlike the company's distribution centers that store and distribute products to Walmart stores. The company said the new center is part of a move to add more capacity to Walmart's supply chain amid growth in the eCommerce sector.

Walmart operates seven distribution centers and 160 retail stores in Pennsylvania with more than 60,000 workers, the company said.