Amazon has opened a robotic fulfillment center in Windsor, Connecticut, where employees work alongside robots to process orders. The 3.8 million-square-foot facility will feature “thousands of robotic systems, such as mobile robots and robotic handling systems, to help workers deliver goods to customers every day,” a freight forwarder said. Supply Chain Dive.
More than 2,000 employees will work at the facility, mainly handling small shipments such as books, electronics or toys. According to a press release, the company began processing and shipping customer orders in November 2022.
Amazon has taken automated processing a step further because it appears to make operations safer, more productive, and more efficient. Many robots have been tested and can move heavy objects, store goods, and perform other repetitive tasks.
According to the company’s blog post, the giant had more than 520,000 robotic drive units and more than a dozen types of robotic systems in its facilities last summer.
The opening of the plant comes despite recent announcements that the e-commerce giant plans to scale back investments in its distribution network. Amazon recently switched to a regional model, where the company will operate eight regional hubs instead of one giant network.