Amazon opened a robotics fulfillment center in Windsor, Connecticut, where workers will process orders alongside bots.
The 3.8 million square-foot facility will have “thousands of robotic systems such as mobile robots and robotic handling systems that help employees deliver for customers everyday,” an Amazon spokesperson told sister publication Supply Chain Dive.
More than 2,000 employees will work at the facility, which primarily handles smaller shipments such as books, electronics and toys. The company began processing and delivering customer orders in November 2022, according to a press release.
Amazon has pushed deeper into automated fulfillment as it looks enhance safety, productivity and efficiency within operations. It’s tested a number of bots that can move heavy objects, stow goods and complete other repetitive tasks.
As of last summer, the giant had more than 520,000 robotic drive units and more than a dozen types of robotic systems in its facilities, according to a blog post from the company.
The opening of the facility comes despite recent announcements that the e-commerce giant plans to slow investments in its fulfillment network. Amazon recently shifted to a regional model in which it will manage eight regional hubs instead of one massive network.
