Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center

From Bhamwiki
Revision as of 11:30, 13 May 2019 by Dystopos (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center is an 850,000 square-foot warehouse and fulfillment center constructed by Amazon on a 133-acre site near Bessemer City High School on Powder Plant Road in Bessemer.

Recruitment of Amazon and the negotiation of public incentives took place under the code name "Project Bluebird". Partners in the deal included the Alabama Department of Commerce, Alabama Department of Transportation, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT), the Jefferson County Commission, the City of Bessemer, the Bessemer Industrial Development Board, the Birmingham Business Alliance and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, along with the Alabama Power Company and Spire. Cushman & Wakefield and EGS Commercial Real Estate were involved in the sale of the property, formerly owned by U.S. Steel.

In May 2018 the right-of-way for Old Powder Plant Road was abandoned and the property was rezoned for industrial uses. Announcement of the $325 million development project followed in June. The fulfillment center was expected to employ around 1,500 workers at an average wage of $14 per hour.

Gray Construction broke ground for the fulfillment center in October 2018 for an expected Summer 2019 opening. In March the retailer announced that while construction was on schedule, the opening of the center would be delayed until some time in 2020 based on demand.

A number of officials toured the unopened facility in May 2019. Sorting and stocking of merchandise will largely be carried out by hundreds of robots. The various areas in the fulfillment center are connected by 22 miles of conveyor belts.

References

  • Holloway, Seth (May 17, 2018) "Bessemer Approves Zoning For 855,000 Square Foot Facility Off Powder Plant Road. What is coming ????" [sic] The Cutoff News
  • "Amazon Chooses Bessemer, Alabama for Fulfillment Center." (June 25, 2018) Area Development
  • Koplowitz, Howard (March 18, 2019) "Amazon delays opening of Bessemer fulfillment center; may not launch until 2020." The Birmingham News
  • Thornton, William (May 9, 2019) "‘Awe-inspiring’ Amazon center taking shape in Bessemer." The Birmingham News
Retrieved from "http://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=Bessemer_Amazon_Fulfillment_Center&oldid=157240"