Amazon.com Inc plans to open new warehouses and hire more people in Europe, an executive said on Tuesday, even as squeezed consumer spending forces the tech giant to cut costs globally and lay off some employees.
Amazon has invested 142 billion euros (US$155.6 billion) in Europe since 2010. Its growth in the region was boosted in recent years by COVID-19 lockdowns, which drove shopping online.
Stefano Perego, vice president of global operations for North America and Europe, said that Amazon’s footprint in Europe would increase from more than 70 fulfillment centers currently.
He declined to say how many new warehouses are planned or where, saying only that the company is guided by customer demand.
The expansion is part of Amazon’s push to increase efficiency by cutting delivery distances and making fulfillment centers more automated.
As a heated debate swirls around artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential risks, Perego, speaking at a Shoptalk conference in Barcelona, said AI is a force for good.
Robots help make warehouses safer by reducing the need for workers to move heavy objects or make repetitive motions, and allowing them to focus on tasks requiring more skill, he said.
“The ability to have a collaborative deployment of AI is really a key strategic element for us,” Perego said.
“I think it’s transforming jobs, and it is giving better, upskilled types of jobs in warehouse and logistics,” he said.
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