Key figures for the Augny siteAugny is one of Amazon’s eight distribution centers in France. Inaugurated in 2021, it is the newest and also the most robotic in France.
- 50,000 m² on the ground for a total of 182,000 m² on three floors
- 4,000 jobs per year, or about 3,000 full-time positions and 3,950 permanent contracts
- 350 to 400 temporary agencies increase the number of employees in the second half of the year
- 25 to 30 million products currently fill the site
- 52,000 mobile shelves equip this site, they are independently managed by robots
After midnight tonight, Flash Prime days will begin on the siteAmazon. This commercial highlight, which takes place from October 8 to 10, returns for a third edition and is reserved for members of the Prime program. A few weeks before Black Friday, Amazon promises “ several hundred thousand » products with discounts. How to prepare for this expected sales peak?
Almost 400 temporary workers were hired this summer
For several months now has transportation is in the starting holes. It all started in July: in addition to the 4,000 jobs at this distribution site located in Augny, near Metz in the Moselle – for around 3,000 full-time equivalents – the site’s HR team employed nearly 400 temporary workers.
The goal: to convert 20 to 25% of holiday visitors initially, then increase the workforce to handle Flash Prime Days, then Black Friday, and finally the purchases that will follow through December to decorate the base of the tree for Christmas. “All employees are trained to play three different roles on the site”explain Pierre-Louis Debroise, the young director of this transport site, an engineer by training and a pure Amazon product (see below).
The site’s operations are divided into four main areas: the teams receive products, store them, take them to fulfill orders placed by customers online and send these packages to delivery centers in France, Germany and Luxembourg. These will operate the last mile to deliver to the end customer.
Stock piled up for a month to handle the influx of sales
Augny has the shelves “nearly 85% full, compared to 70% in more ‘normal’ periods.”compares Pierre-Louis Debroise. To fill this Santa Claus 3.0 bag, teams in France and Luxembourg rely on sales forecasts to estimate the number of referrals to stock and distribute them appropriately across Amazon’s eight distribution centers. “because if a customer in Alsace is delivered from the Montélimar site, it’s a failure on our part”assures the director.
Stock still on pallet and local manager
Items arranged randomly in the 52,000 mobile shelves
Since September, this population has been increasing steadily. During our visit, Thursday, October 3, he counted between 25 and 30 million units. This usually comes from the Amazon site in Senlis, in Oise, which distributes stock to eight Amazon distribution regions across France. In addition, certain suppliers directly supply this Lorraine site specializing in small packages, that is, small packages and less than 10 kg. They are received and validated manually with the help of Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology that orchestrates the entire site. References are then stored by employees.
The method? The agent collects references in bins and slides them into columns filled with various products without any contact between them. He puts them where he can, that is, where he finds room. White lights sometimes illuminate vacant areas, while purple lights indicate areas that are already full. Two cameras follow the agent’s arms, identifying exactly where the reference is located on the shelf. These 52,000 shelves move around automatically thanks to small robots that drive them.
Storage in portable shelves:
Its stock therefore sleeps peacefully at the moment in the winding paths of these approximately 182,000 m² warehouses in Augny, which are spread over three floors. Undoubtedly, starting tonight, those shelves will be emptied as orders are placed for delivery, usually within a day, to Amazon Prime customers.
Density technology that serves all trades
- 2nd edition on October 17, 2024 at the legendary Parc des Princes!
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