Ten years after the opening of the only Amazon logistics center in Bavaria to date, the site has been converted for robotic operation. Since Monday, transport robots have been supporting employees at the center in Graben near Augsburg.

The 150 million euro conversion has created around 250 additional permanent jobs, explained site manager Ernst Schäffler. With the installation of additional levels in the previous warehouses, the area has been expanded by 65,000 m². "We are making better use of the space," Schäffler explained the advantage of the robots.

The number of employees in Graben has grown to 1900 as a result of the expansion. Schäffler assumes that up to around 2,600 or 2,700 men and women will be employed at the site during the Christmas season. On peak days, more than 300,000 parcels could be packed.

Amazon opened the center in September 2011. The company recently announced plans to open another Bavarian logistics center with around 1,000 jobs in Gattendorf near Hof in Upper Franconia in the first half of 2022. In addition to the large logistics locations, Amazon also operates smaller sorting and distribution centers for its own parcel delivery service at a number of locations.

At the logistics center in Graben, the company's own robots are used to transport warehouse shelves. More than 100 different products are kept in stock on the shelves. When an order is placed, the shelves are transported to the employees who assemble the parcels. Once the employee has removed the goods, the robots return the shelves. This will make work in the warehouse easier for employees than before, said the site manager.

Amazon has 175 logistics centers worldwide, 40 of which are in Europe and 17 in Germany. According to the company, robots are in use in more than two dozen of the centers around the world.