On October 9, 2024, Amazon announced the opening of its Shreveport, Louisiana, sorting center, describing it as not only one of the largest but also the most technologically advanced in its network. The facility spans nearly 279,000 square meters across three floors and will employ 2,500 workers at full capacity. For the first time, Amazon has implemented advanced technology in all major operational areas of the site, allowing employees to work side by side with a growing fleet of robotic systems.
At the heart of the new facility is Sequoia, a cutting-edge multi-level containerized inventory system that enhances speed and safety for employees when storing and retrieving goods. Sequoia can hold over 30 million items, making it five times larger than the system’s initial deployment in Houston, Texas, helping to keep products closer to customers for faster deliveries.
In the new center, systems like Robin, Cardinal, and Sparrow—a suite of AI-powered robotic arms—are responsible for sorting, stacking, and consolidating millions of items and customer orders with precision. Sparrow, in its latest version, can handle over 200 million unique products of various shapes, sizes, and weights, thanks to advanced computer vision and artificial intelligence.
The facility is also home to Proteus, Amazon's first fully autonomous mobile robot, which effortlessly moves package carts to loading areas, navigating around employees in open spaces. According to Amazon, these robots not only improve operational safety by reducing the physical strain on workers but also promote sustainability with packaging solutions that replace plastic materials with recyclable paper alternatives.
The company added that the new facility will require 30% more skilled employees in maintenance and engineering. "This next generation of robotics wasn’t just designed for new buildings but also for seamless integration into our existing sites," said Jane Tschanen, Director of Employee Experience for Amazon’s U.S. sorting centers, highlighting how innovation is helping modernize Amazon's entire network.
Amazon concluded by stating that the Shreveport center will reduce order processing times by 25% and increase the number of items available for same-day or next-day delivery. This represents a crucial step toward the future of logistics, improving operational efficiency, particularly during peak demand periods, and enabling cost savings that can be passed on to customers.
