Amazon opens robotic 'first mile' facility in Mass.
Amazon is expanding its robotics- and AI-enabled fulfillment infrastructure in the state of Massachusetts.
In an email to Chain Store Age, Amazon said it has opened a 2.8-million-sq.-ft., four-story robotics fulfillment center in Charlton, Mass. The facility employs more than 1,000 full-time associates who pick, pack and ship customer items such as books, electronics, housewares, and toys.
As a "first mile" facility, the Charlton hub stores, packages and labels packages, which then travel to “middle mile” sort centers before reaching "last mile" delivery stations where they are loaded into vehicles for final delivery to homes and businesses.
Within robotics fulfillment sites, the company says it has reduced fulfillment processing times by up to 25%, enhanced shipping accuracy, and increased the number of items available for same-day and next-day delivery.
During peak delivery seasons, Amazon says it is aiming to drive a 25% improvement in its cost to serve at its next-generation facilities.
According to Amazon, the center stores about 32 million items. The facility is all-electric, and the retailer says this was the catalyst for a 50-megawatt electrical substation upgrade which improved the regional power infrastructure.
The Amazon robotics fulfillment center model features automated technology solutions in all key production areas at the site, with human employees working alongside its robotic systems seamlessly in a way that wasn’t previously possible.
[READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: First Look at Amazon's new robotic fulfillment hub in Mass.]
Amazon says that hundreds of its robots work safely alongside human associates. Each robotic drive unit can lift up to 1,500 pounds while weighing 320 pounds itself.
The retailer estimates its next-generation fulfillment centers and sites with advanced robotics will require 30% more employees in reliability, maintenance and engineering roles.
"Today marks a proud milestone as we officially open our doors in Charlton," said Amazon site lead Radhika Radhakrishnan in a statement. "I'm deeply grateful for the community's welcome and incredibly proud of our talented team who bring this facility to life every day."
Amazon has invested more than $300 million in the development and construction of the Charlton robotics fulfillment center, creating a facility that represents one of the company's largest investments in Massachusetts. Since 2010, Amazon says it has invested $23 billion in Massachusetts, adding $21 billion to state GDP and creating 23,000 full- and part-time jobs as of January 2024 as well as supporting 39,000 indirect jobs in the state.
