GAINES TWP., Mich. - More details are being released about an Amazon.com fulfillment center coming to West Michigan.
The center is planned for Gaines Township and will be the fourth fulfillment center in Michigan. The township and state of Michigan have recently approved plans for the center to move into a former Steelcase facility near 68th Street and East Paris. Construction and renovation at the site is expected to be complete in around a year.
More than 1,000 full-time positions will be filled at the center. Amazon says that employees will have opportunities to work with Amazon Robotics at the center. The Gaines Township center will be one of 25 centers across the glove that uses this robotic technology.
“This is an exciting opportunity for the people working there to engage with this technology and get a leg up on careers with technology either at amazon or with other organizations," said Shevaun Brown, Amazon spokesperson.
The company says that full-time employees will receive competitive hourly wages and a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, disability insurance, 401(k) and company stock awards. The company also offers up to 20 weeks of maternal and parental paid leave and other benefits such as Leave Share and Ramp Back, which give new parents more flexibility. The company also offers a program to pre-pay 95% of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields.
The center will be more than 850,000 square feet of warehouse space where employees, along with robots, will pick, pack and ship small items to customers.
Dutton Township fire chief Paul Sheely says it'll be the largest operation in the area. He says the department has been working closely with Amazon and Ryan Construction on making sure things run smoothly and how to handle new challenges.
“We know that for us the number of accidents because of increased traffic and truck traffic and all those things, it could be affected by that and our plan for that basically right now is to be very cognizant of the impact on the staff and will we have to change the way that we staff I think will be something that we watch over the course of the next few years," said Sheely.
Sheely says they'll likely visit the site once a week until its complete to familiarize themselves with the location and to make sure construction stays on schedule.
“They’ve tried to keep us very informed and communication has been outstanding on this," said Sheely. “I think there’s just a general level of excitement too about a project like this, not just the impact on our community, but the greater Grand Rapids area will probably in some way or another benefit from this.”
For more about working at the Amazon fulfillment center, visit www.amazondelivers.jobs .
