Amazon today announced it has invested over €400 million (£354 million) in new retail technologies over the last three years.
The company claims the its fulfilment centres and employee experience has improved off the back of the investment.
Amazon’s European Advanced Technology team, which was assembled in 2019, has focussed on hardware and software development and technology testing for industrial robotics, autonomous vehicles, automated packaging and sorting technologies at Amazon’s fulfilment centres.
The team has been responsible for the introduction of more than 550 new pieces of technology to Amazon fulfilment centres across Europe in three years, through its work at Amazon’s European Innovation Lab in Vercelli, Italy.
This has included the introduction of item sorters, pallet movers, tote retrievers and automated guided vehicles.
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“Throughout its history, Amazon has invested in technology and innovation to support our employees in their daily roles, improving safety at work and providing customers with fast and reliable delivery,” Amazon director of robotics and advanced technology Stefano La Rovere said.
“In just three years, we’ve invested more than €400 million in research and development and introducing more than 550 new pieces of new technology into Amazon’s fulfilment centers across Europe.
“What’s exciting is we’ve only just begun, with more cutting-edge technologies being invented that will be deployed over the coming years.”
A range of new roles has been created as a result of the investment in technology, including in AR Tech, where engineers use Kindles showing a virtual map of the Amazon Robotics floor to identify safe entry/exit paths so they can collect robotic drive units carrying products for maintenance.
