Amazon Fulfillment Center Tour

Introduction

Learn what happens after you click buy on Amazon.
Virtual tour of an Amazon Fulfillment Center.
Patricia starts the tour at FRA7, an Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center in Frankfurt, Germany.
- Amazon buildings are named after nearby airports.
- FRA7 indicates the seventh building near Frankfurt International Airport.

Focus on outbound processes (inventory already received, unpacked, and shelved).
Guided by Patricia and colleagues from various locations worldwide.

Presented by Kate in New Jersey, USA
- EWR4 facility in Robbinsville, NJ.
- Orange rectangular drive units known as Amazon robotics assist in operations.
- Robots lift and transport storage pods with inventory.
- Robots navigate using onboard scanners and barcoded stickers on the floor.
- Human interaction managed using Tech vests equipped with AI and sensors, making repairs and dealing with spills.
- Training for robotics floor is in-house; no prior education is needed.
- Amazon offers $1.2 billion initiative to fund college education for frontline workers.

Louisa explains the picking process.
- Workers receive information on display screens, including item descriptions and pictures.
- Visual aids include light beams indicating the correct bin and buttons lighting up the correct tote.
- Items are scanned and placed into the correct totes, which then move to the next phase via a tote elevator.
- Workstations are ergonomically designed based on employee feedback.

Federica in Turin, Italy explains packing.
- PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is provided to employees for safety, available in vending machines.
- Workers scan items, and the system suggests the best box size based on item dimensions and weight stored in a database.
- Use of water tape machines for sealing boxes efficiently.
- Additional label called SP00 for tracking item and customer information.
- Boxes placed onto conveyor belts for the next phase, slam.

Kate explains SLAM (Scan, Label, Apply, Manifest).
- Laser scanner scans SP00 label, and conveyor belt scales weigh the packages simultaneously.
- Information sent to cloud servers; label is printed and applied with a blast of air.
- Customer information becomes visible only at this stage for privacy.
- Issues are dealt with by printing a kickout label and diverting the package for problem-solving.

Federica explains the shipping process.
- Shipping sorter conveyor guides packages to correct docks based on destination and carrier.
- Trucks loaded with packages, minimizing shifting during transport.
- Packages delivered via Amazon Logistics or local carriers.
- Introduced electric Amazon vans for deliveries; 100k electric vehicles to be used by 2030.