Amazon's planned new Australian facility

Amazon Australia will open its first Amazon Robotics fulfilment centre (FC) at Goodman's Oakdale West Industrial Estate in Western Sydney. Targeted for building completion in late 2021, the new FC will create more than 1,500 jobs working alongside advanced robotics.

The fulfilment centre will be equipped with the most advanced Amazon Robotics technology to better assist employees and serve customers, and contribute to the company's efforts to deliver a smarter, faster and more consistent experience for its customers around Australia.

Amazon claims robots help speed order processing time by moving shelves to employees, thereby reducing the time and effort taken to stow items for sale or pick them for new customer orders, and creating a more pleasant work environment. They also save space, allowing for 50% more items to be stowed per square metre.

The fulfilment centre will have a total floor area of around 200,000 sqm across four levels and house up to 11 million items.

"The Amazon Robotics fulfilment centre will more than double our operational footprint in Australia, (enhancing) efficiency and safety for our associates while ultimately providing customers with wider selection and faster delivery," says Craig Fuller, director of operations, Amazon Australia.

Amazon launched in Australia in December 2017 and has three Australian fulfilment centres - in Dandenong South; Moorebank, Sydney; and Perth's Airport Precinct.