Amazon to build mammoth robotic warehouse in Western Sydney – IAM Network

"We needed to invest in a building of that type of size and scale so we can deliver the convenience, in terms of delivery speed, to the Australian customer base."Mr Fuller said while the centre would likely improve Amazon's delivery times across most of its Australian customers, the retailer would not know the material benefits of the centre until its completion in 2021.When we launched in Australia there were lots of unknowns…we had to learn the nuances of the Australian marketplaceCraig Fuller, Amazon Australia's director of operationsWhile Amazon operates around 30 robotic fulfilment centres internationally, this will be its first in Australia. The centre will still use humans to pick and pack items, but instead of workers walking to the shelves to pick the items, robotic units take the shelves to them, improving fulfilment time and reducing the amount of walking workers have to do.Amazon has faced criticism in the past over the treatment of its distribution centre workers, who have described working conditions at its Melbourne centre as a "hellscape" due to allegedly unrealistic performance targets.New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the jobs created by the new centre come at a time the Australian economy " …