Amazon showcases its newest and most advanced robotic facility
One of five of its kind globally, Amazon's newest fulfillment center in Barrhaven, Ontario.
Amazon Canada celebrated the opening of its newest and most advanced robotics facility, YOW3, in Barrhaven, Ontario. The only facility of its kind in Canada, and one of only five globally, YOW3 will create more than 2,500 jobs and offer an opportunity for employees to work alongside some of the company's most cutting-edge technology and home to three new special Amazon robots.
The facility looks like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie. Five thousand robots sorting, scanning, and moving as many as 20 million items, to be shipped locally, across Canada and the world.
Advanced Technology
Spanning more than 2.6 million square feet across four floors, YOW3 will store up to 20 million items at a time. Operating among these items are Amazon's ROBIN, RWC4, and Kermit robots, each designed to improve employee experience by enhancing safety and productivity:
ROBIN: A robotic arm that can segment, grasp, manipulate, identify, and place a package onto a sort bot, - which takes items from one department to another. improving the employee experience by supporting employees with repetitive tasks
RWC4: A large robotic arm that sorts totes by destination and builds pallets for shipping,
Kemit: A trolley that focuses on towing empty totes throughout the facility and can adjust its speed and route as needed.
Other unique technologies in the facility include Canadian-made semi-automated pack stations, more than 12 kilometers of conveyor belts, and semi-automated stow stations.
"The idea behind the technology is to be able to make the job safer for our team," says YOW3 General Manager Jawad Kamani.
"In addition to that what we’ve been able to do is really condense the floor space that we have at large Amazon fulfillment centers. By bringing in technology, we are able to get into city centers, get into an area like this where there are closer neighborhoods, associates have closer access to the building and it allows us to be closer to our customer.”
Make no mistake, at more than 2.6 million square feet - that’s four Ottawa Senators hockey arenas - this is the city’s largest building. There are 12 kilometers of conveyor belts to roll packages to its destination, to be sorted, stored or shipped, in a facility that operates 24 hours a day.
YOW3 is one of only five fulfilment centers of its kind in the world, and the technology used here does not take jobs away. In fact, this facility will help to generate more than 2,500 opportunities across the capital region.
"As intelligent as the robots are they’re a bit clumsy so they need constant human interaction," says YOW3 employee Basim Aftab. "And this is why there is a harmonious exchange between robots and humans at the whole facility which you will be seeing from end to end."
"Our communities are recognizing us as an employer of choice and that’s our goal," Khaitan said. "There is more I would like to hire, especially in certain shifts. We are looking for more folks to join us but we are also seeing a strong interest."
"Today is a huge milestone for Amazon as we celebrate the opening of our most technologically advanced robotics facility in the country," said Harsh Khaitan, Amazon Canada's regional director of operations. "We're thrilled to expand our decade-long presence in Canada through our third facility in the Ottawa area, and we are excited to continue creating jobs for the local community."
''This new state-of-the-art fulfillment centre has created thousands of jobs in Ottawa. I'm confident that we will build on this momentum and continue to attract investment and jobs from other global companies, cementing Ottawa's reputation as an ideal logistics and distribution hub.'' said Mayor Jim Watson.
"By using robots, we can help employees with tasks that involve heavy lifting or repetitive movements," Khaitan said. "We pilot and implement technology with the goal of increasing safety, improving our employee experience, and delivering for our customers."
Harsh Khaitan, regional director of operations for Amazon Canada, says there are more than 1,500 associates working in the building now and more than 300 others are expected to be hired this week.
Despite a Canada-wide labour shortage, Khaitan adds that Amazon continues to recruit staff with a focus on a competitive wage, which begins at $19 to $21 per hour along with a benefits package.
