Amazon Australia has announced plans to open its first Amazon robotics fulfilment centre (FC) at Goodman’s Oakdale West Industrial Estate in western Sydney.
Targeted for building completion in late 2021, the new FC is expected to create more than 1,500 jobs with “industry leading” pay and the opportunity to work alongside advance robotics. The construction and fit out of the state-of-the-art facility will create an additional 700 jobs.
The FC, according to Amazon Australia, will be equipped with the “most advanced” Amazon robotics technology to better assist employees and serve customers. It will also contribute to its efforts to deliver a “smarter, faster and more consistent” experience for its customers around Australia.
The robots, says Amazon Australia, will help speed order processing time by moving shelves to employees. This is expected to reduce the time and efforts taken to stow items for sale or pick them for new customer orders and create a more pleasant work environment. Amazon Australia adds that it will also save space, allowing for 50 per cent more items to be stowed per sqm. The fulfilment centre will have a total floor area of around 200,000sqm across four levels – said to be around the same land size as 22 rugby fields – and house up to 11 million items.
Enriching and giving back
Amazon Australia Director of Operations Craig Fuller says the Amazon robotics FC will “more than double” the company’s operational footprint in Australia and will enhance efficiency and safety for its associates while “ultimately” providing customers with wider selection and faster delivery.
“We remain committed to enriching and giving back to the local communities and look forward to working with the council and local schools and groups to contribute and support the community around our new facility in a meaningful way,” he says.
Construction has already begun on the Amazon robotics FC which is claimed to be “well located” for western Sydney workers and for the transportation and delivery of customer orders at the intersection of Penrith, Blacktown, and Parramatta.
Amazon has worked with Goodman Group and its JV partner Brickworks to secure the site. Goodman is managing the construction of the facility which will require 13,500 tonnes of Australian steel, said to be 3,000 tonnes more than the steel used in ANZ Stadium.
The upcoming building will be Amazon’s second FC in Western Sydney, increasing its capacity to fulfil customer orders as the business continues to expand in Australia.
