Inside Amazon's Kent fulfillment center: 1M parcels daily

Amazon's BFI4 fulfillment center in Kent, Washington demonstrates how the e-commerce giant combines human expertise with robotics to process more than 1 million items every day. The facility, which opened in 2016 and was recently toured by Supply Chain Dive, employs approximately 3,500 associates working alongside automated systems to move packages from truck to customer.

The automated workflow

The process begins when trucks arrive and workers unload packages onto conveyor belts. Associates then stow items at "Universal Stations" — manually operated workspaces where employees place goods onto inventory shelving units called "pods."

What distinguishes BFI4 from traditional warehouses is that workers don't walk to shelves. Instead, Hercules robots transport the four-story inventory pods directly to workstations. These mobile robots operate in dedicated fenced areas monitored by Amnesty Floor Monitors, who troubleshoot issues like robot restarts or floor obstructions.

For order fulfillment, employees work at Amazon Robotics Semi-Automated Workstations (ARSAWs). Projector lights illuminate specific sections of the pods, visually guiding workers to the correct items. Associates pick products and place them into totes, which are then sorted and routed to packing stations based on whether orders contain single or multiple items.

Packaging automation reduces waste

The packing process leverages multiple automation technologies. Single-item orders pass through CW1000 packaging machines, which use sensors to measure each product and apply precisely the amount of wrapping material needed — eliminating excess packaging common in manual boxing.

Multi-item orders move to the Amazon Fulfillment Engine area, where associates pack items together at stations equipped with automated tape dispensers. Systems guide workers on which box size to select, streamlining the manual portions of the process.

Once packaged, items move to the ship dock area where they're loaded onto trailers bound for either sorting centers, which coordinate further transportation, or delivery stations for final-mile delivery to customers.

Why it matters

Amazon's Kent facility illustrates the warehouse automation model that's becoming standard across logistics: humans and robots working in tandem rather than one replacing the other. The 3,500-person workforce handles judgment-intensive tasks while robotics eliminate walking time and reduce physical strain. As e-commerce volumes continue growing, this hybrid approach allows facilities to scale throughput without proportionally expanding footprints or headcount. The packaging automation also addresses a business pressure beyond speed — reducing material waste as sustainability scrutiny intensifies across retail supply chains.

The details of the BFI4 facility were first reported by Supply Chain Dive during a July 2026 site visit.