On Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year, Amazon revealed its newest generation DC utilizing robotics, cand high-end technology to speed up order delivery times for customers
Amazon.com has unveiled its ‘eighth generation’ distribution centre, which utilises robotics, Kiva technology, vision systems, and almost 20 years’ worth of software and mechanical innovations to fulfil holiday orders. The company is currently operating 10 of this new generation of DC across the U.S.
“The Amazon teams are dedicated to innovating in our distribution centres to increase speed of delivery, whilst enabling greater local selection at lower costs for customers. The advancements in our latest distribution centres hit all three of these customer desires, while continuing to provide a work environment that is great for employees,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations and customer service.
Some features of Amazon’s eighth generation distribution centre include:
Kiva robots, of which Amazon currently has more than 15,000 operating across the U.S.; Robo-Stow, one of Earth’s largest robotic arms moving large quantities of inventory for customer order fulfilment; New vision systems enabling the unloading and receipt of an entire trailer of inventory in as little as 30 minutes instead of hours; and New, high-end graphically oriented computer systems for employees to use while fulfilling orders for customers.
Amazon recently announced it will hire 80,000 seasonal employees to fulfil customer orders this holiday, a 14 per cent increase over last year. The company expects that thousands of those employees will stay on in regular, full-time roles.
