Amazon have announced the opening of a new first-of-its-kind robotics facility in Westborough, Massachusetts. The new facility will expand Amazon Robotics manufacturing capability in the U.S. and Amazon’s growth in the region—and has created over 200 new manufacturing jobs in Massachusetts.
Amazon began introducing robotics into its facilities in 2012 and has since added over a million new jobs worldwide. Earlier this week, Amazon announced it is hiring for 150,000 seasonal jobs, including 1,500 in Massachusetts. All regular, full-time employees will have access to a starting wage that is more than double the federal minimum wage—along with comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave, and more for employees and their families.
“Massachusetts offers a highly talented workforce, and this Amazon facility opening further cements our state’s reputation as a key center for robotics development, The opening of this new state-of-the-art robotics facility creates new jobs for individuals across a wide range of skills and backgrounds in addition to the 1,500 new seasonal jobs Amazon has created in the Commonwealth as the company continues its investment in the state’s economic growth and development and I am pleased to be here for this opening, especially during STEM Week in Massachusetts.”
– Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito
With this new site, Amazon Robotics will continue to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support, and test teams in Massachusetts. The 350,000-square-foot facility will feature corporate offices, research and development labs, and manufacturing space—in addition to Amazon Robotics’ current site in North Reading, Massachusetts. Together, these two facilities serve as an epicenter of the company’s robotics innovation.
Manufacturing of Amazon Robotics mobile drive units will be a primary focus in the facility. Since 2012, when Amazon first began introducing robotics into its facilities, the company has added over a million new jobs worldwide while deploying more than 350,000 drive units across its facilities. These drive units and other robotic technologies work closely with employees to help safely and reliably fulfill customer orders.
