Amazon celebrates new robotics fulfillment center in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Amazon celebrated the arrival of its new robotics fulfillment operation in the Cape Fear region Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, though the facility has been operating since August.

The new Amazon Robotics Sortable Fulfillment Center is the company’s first fulfillment center in southeastern North Carolina. More than 1,000 people are already working at the facility as Amazon continues to ramp up operations.

Inside the center, robots work alongside employees to move products through the fulfillment process.

Some robots roam the floor and transport storage bins, while others use robotic arms to sort products. Additional automated systems help package products for delivery.

The facility spans four and a half floors and is designed to select, scan, and sort products before they are shipped to customers.

Amazon’s Vice President of Economic Development Holly Sullivan says the company has deployed more than 1 million robots over the past decade.

“We’ve also been the number one job creator in the country, so it works well together. It also means the residents of the region are going to get their packages faster,” said Sullivan.

North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley highlighted the more than 1,000 jobs already at the facility and said the workforce is a key factor in attracting businesses to the state.

“You look around here, more than a thousand employees. That talent, that workforce, is the bedrock of what makes North Carolina the best state for business,” said Lilley.

Lilley also pointed to the technology being used at the facility, including robotics and fiber optics, as a way to connect the region to broader markets.

“The way they brought robotics, fiber optics, all the latest technology into a distribution and logistics facility is going to make it possible not just for consumers here to get products quickly, but to connect companies here to the rest of the state, to the rest of the country, and to the rest of the world,” said Lilley.

Amazon has been expanding its footprint in North Carolina for more than a decade. The company opened its first fulfillment center in the state in Charlotte in 2016.

Since then, Amazon has continued adding facilities and investing in its operations across North Carolina and the United States.