Amazon opens “first-of-its-kind” robotics manufacturing facility
Scott Dresser, Vice President Robotics, speaks outside the new Amazon Robotics facility on October 21, 2021 in Westborough, MA. (Photo By Nancy Lane)
Amazon announced Thursday the opening of a new “first-of-its-kind” robotics manufacturing facility in Westborough, Massachusetts, which is expected to expand Amazon Robotics’ manufacturing capability in the U.S.
Amazon said the new facility has created 200 new manufacturing jobs.
Amazon began introducing robots into its facilities in 2012, and since then, has also added over a million employees to work alongside the more than 350,000 robots.
Though Amazon Robotics has had a North Reading site for about 10 years, which hosts similar roles to the Westboro facility, the new one “is the first in terms of size and scale of operations for Amazon Robotics,” according to an Amazon spokesperson.
The facility will focus on R&D and manufacturing of mobile drive units, which work in fulfillment centers to move products around the floor directly to employees, using artificial intelligence to map their routes.
In fulfillment centers, wheeled blue mobile drive units roll under large inventory storage pods, where they pick up orders and cart them to employees to be packaged and shipped out the door.
At the ribbon-cutting, Dresser of Amazon emphasized the job creation the new site will bring to the Bay State, despite the introduction of robots into the workplace. “We see (a future) where technology and people work together to accomplish really hard, challenging and meaningful problems. That collaboration allows us to focus on being more creative, more innovative and more satisfied in our daily jobs,” he said.
Dresser said the site will create over 200 new advanced manufacturing roles, “hundreds” of robotics, engineering, software development, R&D, and other tech-based roles, and 1,500 statewide seasonal roles in preparation for the holiday shopping rush spread throughout the state.
“This new innovation and manufacturing hub, along with its sister site places Amazon robotics at the epicenter of robotics innovation here in Massachusetts for years to come. ”
Workers build robots at the new Amazon Robotics facility on October 21, 2021 in Westborough, (Photo By Nancy Lane
“We care about the communities where we operate. This is why we are proud to expand high-tech robotics manufacturing in the U.S. and in Massachusetts specifically with the opening of this new facility,” said Vice President of Amazon Robotics Joe Quinlivan. “As a company we have created more than 20,000 jobs in Massachusetts since 2010 in communities from Boston to Westborough and beyond. This latest addition to Amazon’s presence in the Commonwealth brings great jobs, from hourly manufacturing roles to engineers and developers working on advancements in robotics, to help our facilities run safely and meet our customers’ needs.”
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Amazon began introducing robotics into its facilities in 2012 and has since added over a million new jobs worldwide, the company said.
With this new Massachusetts site, the company said Amazon Robotics will continue to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support, and test teams in the state.
The 350,000-square-foot facility will feature corporate offices, research and development labs, and manufacturing space—in addition to Amazon Robotics’ current site in North Reading, Massachusetts.
“The opening of this robotics manufacturing facility and the new jobs it provides demonstrate the strength of our regional economy and our workforce,” said Kristi Williams, Westborough’s town manager. “We look forward to a strong partnership with Amazon Robotics.”
Along with the opening of the new robotics facility in Westborough, Amazon said it is hiring 1,500 new full and part-time operations jobs across its sites in Massachusetts.
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According to recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration data, workers at Amazon fulfillment centers were seriously injured about twice as often as employees in other warehouses. To improve workplace safety, Amazon has been increasing its investment in robotic helpers to reduce injuries among its employees. With access granted for the first time ever, "Sunday Morning" correspondent David Pogue visited the company's secret technology facility near Seattle to observe some of the most advanced warehouse robots yet developed, and to experience how high-tech tools are being used to aid human workers.
