The following report is from The Elkhart Truth.
Amazon is expected to make 1,000 hires by the end of the year for its state-of-the-art fulfillment center north of the city of Elkhart, Indiana.
The company announced Friday that it has begun hiring staff to work alongside hundreds of robots in the order processing center, a process that is expected to take around two months before operations start. Employee duties include receiving, picking, packing and shipping customer orders while supporting network logistics, according to the announcement.
“As we prepare to launch our new robotics facility in Elkhart, we’re excited to create 1,000 full-time jobs that combine competitive wages, comprehensive benefits and opportunities to work with advanced technology,” Kyle DeGiulio, Amazon regional economic development manager, said in the announcement. “These roles offer a strong foundation for building a career at Amazon while contributing to our growing presence in Indiana.”
Applicants must be 18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent. Candidates can view open positions and apply online at amazon.com/localjobs.
Job listings will open on a rolling basis and will be posted until the positions are filled, according to the announcement. Average hourly pay starts at $19 and the company says it offers a range of benefits plus continuing education programs.
Company spokesman Andre Woodson said Amazon plans to have other community engagement activities as part of its hiring drive. For anyone interested, he recommended checking the jobs website for new listings weekly or even daily.
“We are still in the process of ramping up hiring so we’ll be posting the positions on a weekly basis. They often fill up quickly due to high interest,” he said. “Jobs will be posted on a first-come, first served basis, so timing will be key here.”
DeGiulio has described the 800,000-square-foot warehouse as a first-mile facility where packages will originate and be sent out to local hubs to be sorted before delivery. The 1,000 employees will work alongside mobile machines that handle inventory in the center with the most robotics in Amazon’s network.
Amazon confirmed plans for the fulfillment center in October 2021, after rumors about it had been circulating for weeks. The original opening date was given as 2023, but revised plans put heavy emphasis on robotics, requiring the installation of a significant amount of material handling equipment.
Chris Steger, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County, said the design of the facility went through multiple revisions over the years. In the end, he said, Amazon exceeded its promised investment.
“The investment in the automation – they told us upfront it was going to be a $100 million project just to construct the shell. And the initial start of the automation buildout that was considered real property, it was 343 percent of what they promised. So it was $343 million,” he told the Elkhart County Council at its last meeting. “For a brief period, when that facility turns on, that will be the best in the system. Until they open the next one after that, it will have the latest tech.”
Amazon employs more than 26,000 full- and parttime workers at 37 facilities in Indiana, according to the hiring announcement. The company says it has invested $25.5 billion since 2010 in infrastructure development and employee compensation in the state.
Steger said they expect the facility in Elkhart to begin operating sometime in fall. He said the company has until the end of the year to put 1,000 workers on the payroll in order to meet the terms of a tax incentive agreement with the county.
Read the full report from The Elkhart Truth here. Please note there is a paywall.
