While supply chain issues may delay items you ordered for the holidays, Amazon is confident its investments in logistics, workforce labor, and stock will ensure you get that package in a timely manner.

"We're not seeing that many delays," said Amazon global communications director Rena Lunak. "We're very confident in our ability to ship out our products in a timely manner." 

Cheddar News visited the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Robbinsville, N.J., to find out how your order turns from a click of a mouse into a box on your doorstep. The process has many parts, but the company says it is efficient. During Black Friday, it shipped 1,600 items per second.

How Amazon Processes an Order

After a customer places an order online, the product is located by an Amazon Fulfillment Center employee. In certain locations, including Robbinsville, automated robots help bring items to the workers.

That item is sent via a conveyor belt to the packing department, where another person puts it in a box or appropriate shipping container. For oddly-shaped packages, machines sometimes aid with the boxing process. A labeling machine places the address and other necessary information on the box to tell the system where the packages need to end up.

The package then continues through the miles of conveyor belts where it is scanned several times to make sure it's headed in the right direction. In the final stretch, a conveyor belt with attached devices gently shoves the package into the right chute to be sent on its way with the rest of the items headed in a similar direction.

Amazon's Next Steps

A lot of the orders are delivered through Amazon's own fleet of planes, vans, and freight. The company plans to have 85 planes for Amazon Air by the end of 2021 and is working with Rivian to produce 100,000 electric delivery vans by 2030. The first 10,000 will be on the road starting next year. 

To keep things flowing, Amazon has also hired for more than 200,000 jobs this year alone, and it has plans to continue hiring globally.

There is more in store for customers as well, said Lunak.

"We have a lot of deals for everybody in the family, whether you're looking for toys and electronics, beauty products, and they'll continue to be on sale throughout the holiday season," she said. 

Share:
More In Business
Starbucks’ Change Flushes Out a Debate Over Public Restroom Access
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
Trump Highlights Partnership Investing $500 Billion in AI
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Load More