HAZELWOOD, Mo. – The most wonderful time of the year is one of the busiest times of the year inside Amazon’s Hazelwood Sortation Center. Despite handling double its usual volume with double its usual workforce, site leader Pat Wilkins says it’s business as usual.
“We train our associates in safety, quality, and then everything else follows as we move our packages towards the customer,” he said. “And that’s why you don’t see the chaos most people think is at Amazon. We’re practiced and we’re professionals.”
Wilkins showed us the life of a package from the time it enters until it exits the facility.
“Packages come in, we safely move them across the building,” he said. “That scan bar here denotes where it’ll be dropped off based on timing, from the time it gets scanned here out to the linear sorter drop-off areas that are off to your right behind you.”
Wilkins says each container will go to U.S. Postal Service locations within 200 miles of the Hazelwood warehouse. While nearly 70% of packages pass through the automated linear sorter, larger, heavier items are processed in this section of the warehouse.
Manager Ronecia Freeman showed us how it works.
“It comes through our main conveyor system. Get sorted at our source line by about five or six associates,” Freeman said. “It takes it to its designated area based off of the lane location. You have A, B, C, D, E. It gets sent down that chute and makes its way to the lane, where the associate scans it, processes it, (and) builds the pallet.”
“Really, the most important part is just making sure they can do their job safely and do their job well,” said Jazmin Wheeler.
Wheeler manages the facility’s learning area. She trains new associates to hit the ground running.
“It gives them a space where they can feel free to make mistakes, and they can feel free to ask all the questions needed to feel comfortable with the process before they get out there,” she said.
Santa and the elves can eat their hearts out. The North Pole has nothing on north St. Louis County.
“From Friday through this week will be the biggest week until we get right before Christmas and that last rush. Every package has a story, and every customer wants their package, and we’re here to deliver on that,” Wilkins said.
