Similar to the quiet grind of Santa’s workshop, about 2,000 robots work behind the scenes at Amazon’s Bolton facility.
They transport storage pods directly to employees, limiting the distance staff must walk.
Barcodes are scanned automatically and pod layouts analysed to guide placement, with conveyors moving goods onward to the packing stations.
Amazon says automation helps it handle rising orders and ship parcels within hours, especially during the holiday peak.
Last year, Amazon announced that it would open fulfilment centres in Daventry, Doncaster, Warrington and Tilbury in 2017, creating more than 3,500 permanent full-time jobs. The Daventry site opened in February, while Doncaster, Warrington and Tilbury began operating recently.
Amazon also has research and development sites in Edinburgh and Cambridge, which are working on voice recognition services, drones, and developing Amazon’s online and mobile shopping services. By the end of the year, the company will have 1,500 UK-based staff working on R&D.
