Fulfilling the Interior: Amazon’s Fairbanks Station

Everything in Its Place

The delivery station imposes a 50-pound limit and oversize package restrictions for safety and logistical reasons. Edge explains that managers don’t want anything weighing more than 50 pounds on the conveyor belt primarily because they don’t want associates down the line to have to lift boxes that heavy. When customers order heavy items from Amazon, they are processed through a specific warehouse and often handled by a third-party delivery service.

“We are greatly concerned with ergonomics to make sure people don’t put themselves at risk,” says Edge.

As for dimensions, the Amazon delivery station is built around a tote system that allows associates to easily move packages. Most items processed by WFB1 easily fit into totes measuring 28 inches by 23 inches by 20 inches, which are on the sorting racks near the conveyor belt. Edge says lighter oversized boxes are placed on separate racks in the sorting aisles.

Advanced technology assists this sorting process. At each of the thirty sorting aisles, an associate watches for routing labels that correspond with their aisle as packages come down the conveyor belt. When one appears, they remove the package from the conveyor and place it on racks near the aisle. The next associate scans it so a sorting algorithm can identify the best rack or tote in which to place it. Afterward, these packages are taken from their individual sorting aisle to another section of the building with bay doors that lead to Amazon vans parked outside. Packages are loaded according to route.

“We can confirm where a package is at any time while it’s in the building because of the last scan,” says Edge.

Amazon Field Communications Manager Matthew Gardea says this tracking system helps maintain transparency with the customer, especially as Amazon works to fulfill orders within a two-day window. At times, deliveries are delayed due to extreme weather, natural disasters, or disrupted flights, so this system can tell customers whether their package has reached WFB1 and is awaiting delivery.

That said, Edge emphasizes that the public should not attempt to pick up their packages from the delivery station or return items there either. Edge says she is not even allowed to remove her own items from the sorting aisles or it will trigger a quality error. All packages that arrive at WFB1 must complete the journey through the facility. Once they are scanned and sorted, they must be placed into an Amazon van and be taken by a local delivery service partner (DSP), an independent courier business that Amazon contracts to deliver packages.

While DSPs handle the literal last miles, customers can help drivers with the final few feet. In Alaska, it’s common for customers to set aside a container or weather locker for packages. Edge says the best way to ensure boxes are left in a preferred place is to include delivery instructions when ordering. The link for instructions is underneath the shipping address section when checking out. There are options to identify where DSP drivers should leave the package, whether the building requires a security code for entry, if they should use a call box to alert someone of their arrival, or when a building is closed to delivery. Likewise, customers can inform the driver of any dogs they may encounter on the property.

Safe and Equipped

The front section of the WFB1 facility is set aside to make sure associates have the information and equipment they need to keep safe as they work throughout the day. Before each shift, all associates gather in the startup meeting room, where a leader guides everyone through a set of stretches to prepare them for the upcoming physical work. Afterward, teams discuss safety updates, process and policy changes, or other important announcements.

Just off to the side of this area is a blue vending machine where associates get their personal protective equipment (PPE), such as vests and gloves. Associates enter their ID number into the keypad on the vending machine and select the required PPE for use until it needs to be replaced, or if they have forgotten a key item on a particular day. Gardea says that providing PPE prevents associates from using their own equipment beyond its lifespan, which could create a potentially unsafe situation.

“Amazon gloves have a unique grip that lasts longer,” says Gardea.

Any materials with chemical hazards or potentially unsafe compounds that come into the delivery station are listed in the computer to assess risk, says Gardea. This allows associates to sort them into an appropriate area or dispose of damaged materials. An eyewash station and waste processing area is at the front of the building in case of accidental exposures.

Safety measures extend beyond delivery station employees. DSP drivers must go through Amazon’s two-day Integrated Last Mile Driver Academy (iLMDA), which includes high-tech simulators, VR, and hands-on sessions. One of the training modules relevant to Alaska winters is the slip-trip-fall simulator. Drivers are secured in a safety harness attached to a rail spanning a platform 6 feet wide and 10 feet or more in length and specially coated to provide a slightly slippery surface. One side of the platform is flat while the other half features obstacles simulating curbs, stairs, and other tripping hazards.

Drivers are outfitted with special shoes and walk across the flat surface while carrying a box. Then they walk across the side with obstacles without the box to develop the safety techniques needed to walk on slippery surfaces. They repeat the obstacle side with a box in hand before trainers increase the difficulty by spraying the surface with a solution that makes it slicker. Eventually, trainers add distractions literally thrown in the driver’s way to mimic unexpected situations, such as the appearance of moose or dogs, children playing, and the sudden presence of toys in their path.

More than 400 Amazon delivery stations now use iLMDA, and the company says more than 145,000 drivers nationwide have been trained. Amazon reports DSP drivers have communicated a 93.5 percent increase in confidence and a 34.5 percent improvement in delivery performance after completing the training. Likewise, Amazon has seen a 30 percent reduction in slip, trip, and fall incidents where training is active.

Giving and Receiving

In addition to reviving the old Kmart building, WFB1 employs more than 150 Amazon associates and DSP drivers in the Fairbanks area, a number that increases during the holidays. Edge jokes that, although she’s no economist, she definitely finds the Amazon delivery station is a stimulus to the local economy.

“It brings in jobs and makes it possible for people to receive the products they buy quickly,” she says.

An Amazon delivery station benefits the Fairbanks community in other ways. Damaged packages containing everyday products that are still usable are regularly donated to local nonprofit organizations. Gardea says Amazon’s policy is to replace damaged items prior to delivery. Items such as household goods and pet items, if they are unsuitable for delivery, often go to animal shelters and organizations helping residents in need.

“One of the most commonly ordered items at any Amazon site is pet food,” says Gardea. “And if it arrives at the site damaged, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with it—but we want to deliver products to our customers that are in pristine condition.”

Gardea adds that donating these types of products is one way Amazon gives back to the hometown of its northernmost delivery station.