Reuters has learned that Amazon has begun using machines that can box up customer orders, automating the jobs of packers. They work by scanning merchandise arriving on conveyor belts and enveloping them “seconds later in boxes custom-built for each item.”
Amazon plans to install at least two machines at many of its warehouses. People close to the project say this would eliminate 24 positions at each location. “That would amount to more than 1,300 cuts across 55 U.S. fulfillment centers for standard-sized inventory.”
“We are piloting this new technology with the goal of increasing safety, speeding up delivery times and adding efficiency across our network,” an Amazon spokeswoman said in a statement. “We expect the efficiency savings will be re-invested in new services for customers, where new jobs will continue to be created.”