A day before Computer Weekly visited Amazon’s BRS2 fulfilment center in Swindon the tech and retail giant had announced that drone deliveries would be launched in the UK soon.
According to its statement, a planning application is being filed with the local authority for flight operations facilities in the distribution hub. Authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority is still needed to fly drones within the airspace. Amazon will hire staff to run the operation once it is allowed to.
Amazon promised to work closely together with the CAA to develop the regulatory framework for commercial drone delivery in the UK. However, it appears that consumers in the north east will soon be able order certain items directly through the Amazon app or web site and receive them via drone.
Swindon opened in 2021 and there are no immediate plans to introduce Amazon drones. However, our tour of the facility highlights the tech prowess behind an organization that generated 11% UK Retail Revenue Growth in 2023-24, to reach PS27bn.
The Amazon Swindon site in Symmetry park displays a robot image before entry. And the place
The inside of this machineis as robotic-sounding as its name.
Automation by Dutch company Vanderlande begins as soon as goods are unloaded from trucks and placed on a telescopic conveyer. The goods are then accelerated to the three robot-heavy levels above or to an manned receiving line.
Fulfilment centers like the one in Swindon are a link in the Amazon UK Supply Chain responsible for receiving goods from small businesses and large fast-moving consumer products (FMCG). They then process, store, pick and pack these goods before distributing them to regional delivery centres throughout the UK. Swindon does not handle the largest and bulkiest lines.
Staff at the “receive line” unloads products into black tote bags, which are then sent up to “stow station” where computer systems instruct teams of stowers which “pods” they should place items into. The system determines which compartment in the pod is best for each item that needs to be stowed.
The pods store inventory until they are needed for an order. They sit atop automated guided robots (AGR), which move and are programmed so that the goods are lined up for picking when necessary. The robots are always active and have a charging dock that they automatically return to whenever a power boost is needed.
Amazon purchased Kiva Systems in 2012. The AGRs are a modern version of the robots made by this manufacturer. They are called Hercules and can lift up to 1,200 lbs each. They navigate the site by using floor symbols that look like QR codes.
Each floor has dozens of engineers, some focused on managing the robots while others focus on the larger machinery. Anyone entering the caged pods must wear the SRBRS anti-robotic electronic safety vest. This vest will stop the Hercules robotics if they are within four metres. Amazon has reduced the number of forklift trucks on its site because they are a safety risk.
Around 2,000 people are employed on various contracts at the fulfilment centre. The site’s general manger, David Tindal says: “Man and Machine is the future.” Automation makes warehouses safer and more comfortable.
According to him, staff are taught how to “think like customers”, and that the tech deployment has given them more skilled jobs. They also play a “vital role in not letting a wrong product through”.
AI and computer vision
Tindal’s favourite technology on the Swindon site, is the “sorter”, a device that neatly directs the parcels off the conveyor to the correct place for their next journey. Tindal explains that a more recent piece of technology, the computer vision, has been implemented on the conveyor system to check for any defects in the goods or packaging, before items leave the building.
The SICK-manufactured sensors above the conveyor in Swindon can automatically determine if a parcel is ready to be sent out or identify potential problems before they occur.
Amazon’s US operations began using systems of this type in May 2023. Swindon, however, was the first UK site to implement the technology. Tindal claims that the technology is effective in identifying if packaging hasn’t been prepared properly – for instance, if tape is coming off – or if labelling irregularities are present. This could be an early indicator of printer health.
Amazon Swindon is a UK early adopter of the imaging sensors tech
He says, “Without these checks the parcel could get to the customer without something missing,” and adds that it tracks problems back to their source.
This technology is an additional layer of checking for Amazon. The company prides itself on providing fast and reliable customer service. Tindal does not give specific figures, but the peak period between Black Friday and Christmas 2024 saw the Swindon centre process millions of packages per week.
When asked about the attitude of the Swindon employees towards artificial intelligence (AI), the general manager said that AI was “invisible” for them. “The systems running smoothly is what they care about,” he says.
Tindal encourages all managers, while we’re in the office of the general manager, which houses a senior team, to experiment with new strands in AI, like generative AI. He believes it will “help all of us to get to a basic level so that we can use it even more”.
You learn the strengths and weakness and that makes it easier for you to spot applications.
Best possible systems
Tindal describes the automation and AI on Amazon’s sites as “a gamechanger for productivity” and essential to support the company’s promise of speedy customer fulfilment. The technology and processes are constantly evolving, often based on feedback from staff.
One of Amazon’s strongest points is that we have so many warehouses and we put in a lot of work to develop the best possible system and then roll them out around the world,” he says.
He also speaks of the “difficult pressure” to get staff to follow strict standards, while also allowing them to come up with ideas for improvement. He encourages his staff to have an entrepreneurial attitude and talks regularly with his colleagues on the tour.
At the end of the product’s stay in Swindon, the product will reach the packing station. Amazon, like other retailers, has been criticized for its excessive packaging that creates waste. It is now making a concerted attempt to reduce its use of material and ensure packaging sizes match product sizes.
AI-powered technology is in action, but the packer can override the decisions and choose what they think is the most appropriate packing.
Amazon may soon begin delivering goods to customers in the North-East, which would be a UK and Ireland commercial first despite previous trials by Boots and Tesco. Swindon’s evidence suggests that this is just the next step in the tech and automation path Amazon is long treading.
