Amazon’s new Belleville facility prepares for busy holiday season

Amazon’s colossal new fulfillment centre in Belleville, Ont. is gearing up for a bustling holiday season, boasting an impressive infrastructure designed to cater to large-item orders.

Known as ‘YGK-1,’ this facility specializes in processing and dispatching oversized household items such as TVs, couches, pool tables, hot tubs, and even paddle boats, delivering them to destinations across Canada.

This site, launched in October, strategically aligns its designation with the nearest airport code, ‘YGK,’ representing Kingston.

Safety and efficiency take centre stage in this state-of-the-art facility, meticulously planned to ensure streamlined operations. The floor is marked with colour-coded tape, delineating pedestrian paths from those designated for forklift usage. Additionally, personal protective equipment stations are strategically placed throughout the premises.

“The focus in heavy-bulky sites is more on making sure the associates are processing the units safely,” Site Lead, Aman Chouhan said. “So you won’t see that speed that you would see at a site that is handling books or small ‘Insta-Pots’ or things like that.”

The facility boasts numerous break rooms, a faith room, and a lactating room for new mothers, all aimed at maintaining staff engagement while facilitating a continuous flow of products in and out of the building.

The entire facility spans over a million square feet. Although partly empty, Amazon anticipates reaching full capacity by winter’s end.

Even Amazon employees are awed by the sheer scale of the warehouse.

“I haven’t (seen anything like it). Not here in Belleville. It’s very big and shiny, and new,” forklift operator, Alex Glendenning said. “It’s got a lot of potential.”

Currently handling around 1,300 outgoing packages daily, Amazon anticipates a significant surge in operations. With Black Friday kicking off the season, they’re poised for their busiest period, from now until Boxing Day.

300 individuals are employed at the Belleville facility and Amazon foresees this number escalating to as many as 400 in the coming weeks. The facility’s expansive capacity aligns with the soaring consumer demand for online shopping.

This sprawling establishment in Belleville is a testament to Amazon’s commitment to meeting the needs of an ever-expanding e-commerce landscape.