It is the size of 28 football fields and boasts enough steel to build the Eiffel Tower twice.
The Amazon fulfillment center currently under construction in Kenosha is even bigger than most would imagine, and, for the first time ever on Thursday, the Seattle-based online retailer opened the center’s doors for a sneak peek inside.
“Today represents one of many firsts for Amazon,” spokeswoman Nina Lindsey told a group of 30 students who were invited for a special half-hour tour. “And here at Amazon we love all our firsts.”
Amazon also says it wants to play an active role in the community, which is why it asked students from Kenosha’s Indian Trail High School and Academy to create a sculpture that will be permanently displayed in the fulfillment center’s entry area.
The four-story, 1.1 million-square-foot fulfillment center northeast of I-94 and 38th Street in Kenosha is anticipated to open sometime this year, bringing with it more than 1,000 full-time jobs.
Amazon will begin hiring a few months prior to its to-be-announced opening, and interested candidates should visit www.workatamazonfulfillment.com.
Lindsey added that Amazon gives preference to those with military backgrounds, as their skill sets are particularly useful at fulfillment centers. Amazon hired more than 2,600 veterans in the U.S. in 2014.
The jobs will be in areas including operation, information technology, finance, human resources and facility management. Amazon says its fulfillment center jobs pay on average 30 percent more than traditional retail jobs, and benefits, including 401K, stock options and bonuses, begin on day one.
The Kenosha fulfillment center is among Amazon’s eighth generation of fulfillment centers, and Lindsey said the centers in each new generation get bigger, use more technology and utilize more square footage.
In total, 109 fulfillment centers are located worldwide, each holding millions of products. Although Kenosha’s fulfillment center currently does not have any stock, Lindsey showed the students where the myriad items will be stored in an area called the “pick mod.”
She describes the pick mod, or library, as “Earth’s physical manifestation” because it contains everything “from A to Z.” On Cyber Monday alone, Lindsey said 36.8 million items were ordered, amounting to 426 products a second.
Innovative, state-of-the-art technology will help the “pickers” locate the products, which will then be transported in yellow totes via the eight miles of conveyor belts to the outbound operations area. The merchandise is then packaged and loaded onto delivery trucks.
Amazon announced its plans for the two-building Kenosha fulfillment center complex in the fall of 2013. A 500,000-square-foot building is located behind the 1.1 million-square-foot building the students toured.
For more information on the fulfillment center and its impact on the region, read the BizTimes Milwaukee Sept. 29, 2014 cover story.
Hilary Dickinson is a reporter at BizTimes Milwaukee.
