Amazon 8.0 now online
In a move to showcase its advanced shipping capabilities to holiday shoppers Amazon.com is touting the finer points of its eighth generation fulfillment centers.
The online giant said its eighth generation fulfillment centers embody two decades worth of software and mechanical innovations including extensive robotics technology from Kiva Systems, a company Amazon acquired several years ago.
“The Amazon fulfillment teams are dedicated to innovating in our fulfillment centers to increase speed of delivery while enabling greater local selection at lower costs for our customers,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations and customer service. “The advancements in our latest fulfillment centers hit all three of these customer desires while continuing to provide a work environment that is great for employees.”
Some of the features of the eighth generation fulfillments centers, of which 10 are currently in operation are an army of 15,000 Kiva material handling robots and a massive robotic arm called “Robo-Stow” that is capable of moving large quantities of inventory. The facilities also make use of new vision systems that allow for the unloading and receipt of an entire trailer of merchandise inventory in as little as 30 minutes and new high-end graphically oriented computer systems for employees to use while fulfilling orders.
To check out the Kiva robots in action, click HERE.