Amazon Canada is celebrating the opening of its newest robotics facility, YOW3, in Barrhaven, Ontario. YOW3 is the only facility of its kind in Canada and is one of five globally.
It aims to create more than 2,500 jobs and offer an opportunity for employees to work alongside new technology.
“This new state-of-the-art fulfillment centre has created thousands of jobs in Ottawa. I’m confident that we will build on this momentum and continue to attract investment and jobs from other global companies, cementing Ottawa’s reputation as an ideal logistics and distribution hub.’’ said Mayor Jim Watson.
YOW3 will store up to 20 million items at a time and span more than 2.6 million square feet across four floors.
Amazon’s ROBIN, RWC4, and Kemit robots are each designed to improve employee experience by enhancing safety and productivity:
ROBIN: A robotic arm that can segment, grasp, manipulate, identify, and place a package onto a sort bot. It will help improve the employee experience by supporting employees with repetitive tasks.
RWC4: A robotic arm that sorts totes, the logistical units of an Amazon facility centre, by destination and builds pallets.
Kemit: A trolley that tows empty totes throughout the facility and can adjust its speed and route as needed.
“By using robots, we can help employees with tasks that involve heavy lifting or repetitive movements,” said Harsh Khaitan, Amazon Canada’s regional director of operations. “We pilot and implement technology with the goal of increasing safety, improving our employee experience, and delivering for our customers.”
Other technologies in the facility include Canadian-made semi-automated pack stations, over 12 kilometers of conveyor belts, and semi-automated stow stations.