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17 May 2024

How robotics and AI-powered technologies are driving innovation in the UK

Guest blog from the Amazon Robotics Team as part of our #UnleashInnovation campaign week 2024.

Amazon has a substantial logistics footprint across the UK, with more than 30 fulfilment centres and dozens of sortation centres and delivery stations. At our fulfilment centres, thousands of robots assist with stocking inventory, filling orders and sorting packages for delivery. Our investment in robotics has helped streamline processes, improve workplace safety and increase efficiency – it has also made it possible for our employees to develop new skills and take on new roles.  In fact, over 50,000 jobs in fulfilment centers across Europe have been enhanced by the introduction of new technologies over the past decade. Robotics and technologies play a crucial role in enhancing Amazon’s operations network, while AI enables the business to scale these advancements for a global operation serving millions of customers worldwide.  

Amazon started using robotics in our fulfilment centres after its 2012 acquisition of Boston-based Kiva Systems, which has since been renamed Amazon Robotics (AR). Since 2021, many types of robots are now in use at our fulfilment centres and earlier this year we announced a €700 million investment in robotics and AI-powered technologies across Europe. This includes further investment in our Innovation Lab, home to a diverse team of scientists and engineers from all over the world, to develop and test new technologies. By the end of 2024, the lab will have been responsible for the installation of over 1,000 new robotics and AI-powered innovations throughout Amazon's European fulfilment centre network.  

In 2024 alone, Amazon expects to introduce 120 new pieces of automation technology across the European network. Let’s look at some of the most exciting innovations emerging from Amazon labs in recent years and explore how they are reshaping the workplace at Amazon, and beyond.  

  • The Amazon Robotics Floor is the heart of a fulfilment centre and transforms inventory management. Thousands of Amazon Robotics drive units efficiently bring storage units to ergonomic workstations and back to the inventory storage area. This eliminates the need for employees to walk long distances transporting items.  

  • Amazon's automated packaging technologies create custom-fit paper bags on demand by scanning items and calculating the right amount of paper needed for quick and accurate packing. By packing items in 100% recyclable light paper packaging, which is made-to-fit without the need for padding, the machines help to avoid more than 26 grams of packaging per shipment, on average. Lightweight paper bags used by Amazon are up to 90% lighter than similar-sized cardboard boxes. 

  • The Universal Robotic Labeller (URL) is a high-speed auto-labelling technology that improves label placement and adhesion on irregular surfaces. Its innovation lies in its ability to apply different types and dimensions of labels, and on different types of irregularly shaped products. This eliminates the need for additional packaging, reducing waste and recycling on the customer’s side. 
     

  • The Universal Item Sorter (UIS) ensures thousands of products are efficiently sorted into shipping locations every day. Upon induction, the system utilises advanced wireless technology to move shuttles, called iBOTs, that travel in various directions carrying the items and delivering each to a container already matched to its final destination. The UIS prioritises safety and ergonomics in the workplace. By incorporating intelligent technology, it minimises physical strain on employees, contributing to a safer workplace. This allows Amazon to reduce the dimensions of its buildings, reducing both its footprint and energy consumption. 
     

  • Robots love things to be in order, and the Flat Sorter Robotic Induct (FSRI) is a clever piece of kit that ensures packages move through the fulfilment centre at a smooth, steady, and ordered rate. The FSRI takes over repetitive tasks, making life easier for employees. With smart vision sensors, it spots packages wherever they end up on the conveyor, and a nifty robotic arm swoops in to pick them up and send them on their way. And here's the cool part – the robot's 'hand' uses suction cups to gracefully handle all sorts of packages. 

  • The Robotic Tote Palletizer (RTP) technology is a fundamental part of the palletisation process. It has two robotic arms working in harmony to condense several totes (containers) into neat, double-stacked pallets with precision and care. It’s a complex series of actions that contributes to a safer and more ergonomic process, ultimately saving employees from repetitive, heavy lifting.  

Amazon has invested over £56 billion in the UK since 2010 to provide convenience, selection and value to UK consumers, while helping to digitally empower hundreds of thousands of small businesses and content creators.  In May 2024, Amazon announced plans to open a £500 million state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Northampton, creating more than 2,000 new jobs including engineers to IT professionals. This follows the new £450 million fulfilment centre in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham which opened in October 2023, featuring three floors of Amazon Robotics technology. 

Energy efficiency is a top priority in the construction of the new fulfilment centres, which will feature specialist building management systems which will ensure a comfortable working environment for employees at the same time as reducing unnecessary energy consumption. Amazon is the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy and is on a path to powering our operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025 – five years ahead of our original target.  

Amazon is a significant investor in skills; whether in operations, AWS, or the creative industries, we create meaningful opportunities for our employees, jobseekers and the next generation. Last year we offered 1,000 new full-time apprenticeship roles across different schemes—from automation engineering and robotics to safety technician.  

These are just a few of the automation technologies we use in our operations. You can learn about many more of our innovations in robotics that are changing the workplace via our online blog here. 

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The UK is home to emerging technologies that have the power to revolutionise entire industries. From quantum to semiconductors; from gaming to the New Space Economy, they all have the unique opportunity to help prepare for what comes next.

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