The new facility will be used to manufacture more robotics solutions for the company’s warehouses.
Retail giant Amazon officially opened its new robotics facility located in Westborough, Mass. The new 350,000-square-foot facility is part of the company’s plans to further expand its warehouse robotics capabilities in the United States. It will include corporate offices, research and development labs, as well as a dedicated manufacturing space. The facility is expected to generate around 200 manufacturing jobs in the state. It is the second facility to be erected in the region, with the first Amazon Robotics facility located in North Reading, Mass. These two facilities will serve as the epicenter of Amazon’s robotics innovation efforts.
According to the company, the primary focus of the new facility will be the manufacturing of Amazon Robotics mobile drive units. The Drive Unit is a mobile robot used by Amazon for automating its warehouse operations. The unit can carry shelves of inventory from one area to another. It can even lift entire racks. Amazon first began developing warehouse robotics solutions back in 2012.
Over 350,000 units of robotics have since been integrated into Amazon facilities located around the globe. Drive Units then work side by side with employees to ensure the safety and reliability of operations while fulfilling customer orders.
Massachusetts recently become a hotbed of technological innovation. Besides being home to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the state has continuously been making efforts to attract tech companies to the region. It is currently home to more than 350 companies working on robotics technologies as well as 18 universities currently working on 35 robotics research and development programs.
“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,” shared 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.”
Amazon adds that it will be leveraging the new Amazon Robotics facility to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support, and test teams in the region. The company has already posted hiring announcements for 1,500 seasonal jobs in the state of Massachusetts alone.
“Massachusetts offers a highly talented workforce, and this Amazon facility opening further cements our state’s reputation as a key center for robotics development,” shared Massachusetts’ Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “The opening of this new state-of-the-art robotics facility creates new jobs for individuals across a wide range of skills and backgrounds in addition to the 1,500 new seasonal jobs Amazon has created in the Commonwealth as the company continues its investment in the state’s economic growth and development and I am pleased to be here for this opening, especially during STEM Week in Massachusetts.”
For more information, visit Amazon’s official website.
