Amazon opens three new Michigan facilities, plans 4 more

Amazon is significantly increasing its physical fulfillment infrastructure in Michigan.

The e-tail giant has officially opened three new supply chain facilities in the state, and also plans to launch its first mid-Michigan fulfillment center and three additional operations facilities that will support customers in metro Detroit and the Grand Rapids area.

Facilities Amazon is opening in Michigan on Wednesday, Sep. 8, include a robotics fulfillment center in Pontiac. The new, state-of-the-art facility spans 823,000-sq.-ft. in Oakland County and will employ more than 1,200 associates. Employees will work in a technologically advanced environment to pick, pack, and ship customer orders such as books, laptops, and beauty products.

In addition, Amazon is operating a new Huron Charter Township “XL” non-sortable fulfillment center. The facility is designed to receive, store, and package heavy or bulky items like televisions with 50-inch screens. The 750,000-sq.-ft. facility near Romulus will employ more than 100 associates.

And a new delivery station in Walker is designed to make delivery to Southwest Michigan more efficient. The 112,000-sq.-ft. station employs more than 100 associates.

In 2022, Amazon will open its eighth Michigan fulfillment center. The facility in Delta Charter Township will create more than 500 new, full-time jobs. When completed, the fulfillment center will encompass more than 1 million-sq.-ft., allowing Amazon employees to pick, pack, and ship larger items to customers, such as bulk paper goods, sports equipment, patio furniture, and larger home goods and electronics. The facility will also house innovative technologies and energy-efficient, zero-emission power industrialized truck (PIT) equipment.

New Amazon operations will also be coming to the Grand Rapids area. A new sort center and a delivery station are planned to open in 2022 and 2023, respectively, in Gaines Township. Together, the sites will employ hundreds of workers while powering Amazon’s middle mile and last-mile delivery capabilities, increasing delivery efficiency for customers in Southwest Michigan.

In 2022, Amazon also plans to launch its sixth metro Detroit delivery station. The site in Canton will employ more than 100 employees.

“We’re excited to expand our investment throughout the state of Michigan with the addition of these new facilities,” said Alicia Boler Davis, senior VP of global customer fulfillment for Amazon. “This expansion not only allows us to better serve our customers across the state, but also enables us to boost the local economy and drive more opportunities for job creation. We’re proud to have created more than 21,000 jobs so far, and look forward to our continued growth in Michigan.”

Amazon is expanding its Michigan supply chain network as it is generally growing the size of its enterprise. The company is holding its biggest-ever recruiting event on Sep. 15. Amazon is looking to hire more than 40,000 corporate and technology roles across 220-plus locations in the United States, as well as tens of thousands of hourly positions in its operations network. 

Since 2010, Amazon says it has invested more than $6 billion in Michigan and has created more than 21,000 jobs statewide. The company plans to add more than 1,500 jobs by the end of 2021 inside its recently launched facilities.