Good Question: What’s the latest on the Amazon facility in Gates?

GATES, N.Y. — What’s the update on the new Amazon facility in Gates that’s been nearly three years in the making?

An Amazon representative says there has been progress with hiring at the new robotics fulfillment center on Manitou Road. In the outside, it appears to be relatively quiet. So what’s happening inside of this new 2.6 million square foot facility?

Amazon spokesperson Marc Heintzman says: “Progress at our robotics fulfilment center in Gates continues. Senior leadership for our operations teams are in place with dozens of leadership roles already filled for the site. An official launch date hasn’t been finalized yet but we look forward to continued hiring for 1,000-plus good-paying jobs as the building moves closer to being operational.”

Gates Town Supervisor Cosmo Giunta says a fire marshal did a walk-through of the space last month and saw equipment and robotics in place. Workers have been busy installing more than 300 robots at the new fulfillment center.

Those robots will do things like lifting and moving packages, sorting items and reading shipping labels using advanced artificial intelligence technology, and organizing items into what Amazon calls a containerized storage system.

If you have a question you’d like answered, send us an email to GoodQuestion@whec.com.