Amazon Warehouse Tour

Today, both the FTC and FRC teams toured the Amazon Warehouse in Robbinsville to learn how Amazon incorporates machinery and software to get packages to people’s front doors. Nemesis Prime set up the trip and graciously invited the FRC team to tag along.

When we arrived, I couldn't help but notice how big the building was. After checking in, we were directed into a small business room. Here we were given visitor IDs, a headset and a receiver. The tour leader introduced herself as Katie and the helpers were Brenda and John. Katie went over safety procedures and escorted us out of the room to where the magic happens.

The warehouse itself was immense, with 4 floors of pallet shelving. The shelves were like the ones at Home Depot, where on top there would be shrink-wrapped pallets of merchandise. If a truck couldn’t come to pick up the packages because of impending weather or other reasons, the items would be stored there. To maintain warehouse efficiency, Amazon predicts what users will buy based on local area trends, and stocks regional warehouses accordingly. Additionally, we learned those common products such as diapers, dog food, and laundry detergent, are kept in large quantities on pallets for faster delivery. Throughout the facility, 15 miles of conveyor belts snaked its way through the warehouse. They are used to easily transport packages from one place to another. Upstairs, in the packaging center, we learned how software is used in conjunction with machine learning and the Amazon workforce to optimize packaging. Did you know that every second, 9 items are shipped out of this warehouse?

One major part of the warehouse’s success was its utilization of robotics and software. As a member of FTC14020, this is what fascinated me the most. The key to Amazon’s approach is the use of robots moving shelves of merchandise to workstations. This is exactly the opposite of what I expected, I assumed people moved to the merchandise, not the other way around. Putting merchandise away and picking orders is accomplished through robotic movements, the software behind them, and workers following lights and computer screens. These robots were supported by software teams that regularly optimized their functions.

Overall, the trip to the Amazon Warehouse was a unique experience that exposed high school students to how robotics is used to work in conjunction with people in big tech companies. It was very beneficial to me because not only did I see the application of work done by Nemesis Prime, but it also showed me that just like the robotics teams, people from different engineering backgrounds like mechanical or software, come together to create an outstanding operation.