Technology at work:

Amazon
Over the past 20 years, Amazon has developed from a small seller working
from a garage in Seattle, to a global company with 300 million worldwide
active customer accounts. In Europe alone, they have a thriving network of
40 fulfilment centers in seven countries. In 2015, they shipped over one
billion units to our many customers across Europe.

Amazon have a rich history of developing and introducing cutting-edge

technology into our fulfilment centres to assist their employees in their roles
and deliver for their customers.

Today, their employees work in technology enabled environments where

the technology is used to improve processes and assist them doing their
daily role, ranging from random stow and pick through to box sizing
algorithms, software that determines the shortest, most efficient walking
route from one place to another and the SLAM process (Scan, Label,
Apply, Manifest), which was developed by Amazon and remains a
revolutionary innovation for customers because it speeds up the packing
process and helps ensure accurate deliveries.

The introduction of Amazon Robotics in the UK, at our new fulfilment

centres in Dunstable and Doncaster, Manchester and Warrington is the
newest example of this commitment to invention in logistics on behalf of our
employees and our customers.

Amazon Robotics was introduced to both these sites during the first few
months of 2016. More than 50 skilled engineers and IT professionals will
support the technology. Oliver is one of them: “I have always been
interested in robotics, but when I started at Amazon I wasn’t aware that this
opportunity was available,” he remembers. “We are not only working with
the robots day to day, we are also looking at how we can make them better
in the future.”

The robots slide under a tower of shelves where products are stowed, lift it
and move it through the fulfilment centre. Robots help speed order
processing time and reduce walking by employees by moving the shelves
to employees, reducing the time taken to stow items for sale or pick them
for new customer orders. They also save space, allowing for 50% more
items to be stowed per square foot. Liam, one of the employees at
Doncaster, describes robots as “innovative technology that enables us to
get the items to the customer a lot quicker.”

The Amazon fulfilment teams are dedicated to innovating in their fulfilment

centres to increase speed of delivery while enabling greater selection at
lower costs for our customers. The advancements in their latest fulfilment
centres hit all three of these customer desires while continuing to provide a
work environment that is great for employees.