Amazon Plans to Expand Its Robot Workforce in Warehouses

Amazon, one of the world’s largest tech companies, utilizes robots for a wide range of tasks, including lifting heavy loads, retrieving products from shelves, sorting orders, and packaging. The Wall Street Journal reports that approximately 75% of Amazon’s global deliveries now involve some form of robotic support.

Company officials emphasize that robots handle repetitive tasks, allowing human workers to focus on more skilled and complex duties. Since the deployment of robots, new roles such as warehouse control specialists and maintenance engineers have also been created.

Productivity Boost:
In a 280,000-square-meter facility in Louisiana, dozens of robotic arms sort and package millions of products. Human workers collaborate with these robots to prepare orders and retrieve hard-to-reach items from shelves. This hybrid work model has increased the movement speed of products by 25% compared to other warehouses.

Impact on Workforce:
Thanks to automation, the average number of employees per facility has decreased to its lowest in 16 years, now standing at around 670. However, the average packages processed per worker has skyrocketed from 175 to 3,870 over the past decade, reaching new productivity records.

Future Technologies:
CEO Andy Jassy stated that artificial intelligence would take over some tasks in the future, leading to a reduction in office staff. Nevertheless, he highlighted that new technology would also generate different job opportunities.

Workforce Training:
Amazon claims to have trained over 700,000 employees worldwide for higher-paying roles in robotics and technology. According to Yesh Dattatreya from Amazon Robotics, the company aims for machines to eventually understand voice commands and operate autonomously. Tests of humanoid robots are also underway.

Amazon’s journey into robotics began in 2012 with the acquisition of Kiva Systems for $775 million, marking a significant milestone in its automation efforts.