Amazon has introduced its "Amazon Robotics" automated warehouse system, the first of its kind in the Tokai region, at the "Amazon Nagoya Minato Fulfillment Center (FC)," which began operations in August in Minato Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and unveiled it to the public on September 17th.
An FC (Fulfillment Center) is a 24-hour logistics hub that inspects and stores goods received from retailers, and then stocks, packs, and ships them when an order is placed. The facility is a four-story building with a total floor area of approximately 125,200 square meters, making it Amazon's largest in western Japan.
Amazon Robotics
Amazon Robotics consists of approximately 3500 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and 31,000 pods (shelves). It occupies the center of the storage floor, with human workspaces arranged around it. The system uses robots to deliver shelves of goods to worker stations, while humans retrieve items from the shelves according to shipping instructions.
The facility is a custom-built version of Mitsubishi Estate's "LogiCross Nagoya Minato" specifically for Amazon. When introducing robotics, Amazon calculated everything from the size and span of the columns to the placement of fire shutters and elevators to how to arrange the shelves most efficiently.
<Utilizing robotics to streamline operations>
During shipping, scanning the product prompts the system to suggest the appropriate packaging material. We strive to conserve resources by using paper bags instead of cardboard boxes whenever possible.
"Amazon Nagoya Minato FC" has an inventory of over 1900 million items and can handle over 60 incoming and outgoing items per day during peak times.
Hiroaki Watanabe, General Manager of Operations Technology at Amazon Japan, said, "We needed to increase our shipping capacity in the Tokai region, so we decided to build a new fulfillment center. By being able to store more than 1900 million items in Nagoya, we will be able to increase the number of products that can be delivered on the same day, and as a result, customers will be able to experience that their orders are arriving faster than before."
<Solar power generation on the south-facing wall>
Amazon Nagoya Minato FC prioritizes environmentally conscious and sustainable practices. One example of this is solar power generation.
To meet the electricity needs of the facility, in addition to installing equipment on the roofs of the building and parking/bicycle parking areas, Amazon has also become the first company in the world to install solar power generation equipment on the south-facing walls of the building.
With a total power generation capacity of 5.5 MW, a battery storage system is also installed, allowing for the use of carbon-free energy even during rainy, cloudy, or nighttime conditions.
<Image of a geothermal heat exchange system using a model>
An air conditioning system utilizing geothermal heat pumps has also been installed. 200 geothermal heat exchangers have been buried to extract stable thermal energy from 100 meters underground. This is used for heating and cooling the first floor. This is expected to reduce energy consumption by approximately 30% compared to conventional air conditioning.
Furthermore, by using rainwater stored in the reservoir for toilets and other purposes, it is expected that the amount of tap water used can be reduced by approximately 40% compared to conventional fuel cell systems of the same size.
In addition, as part of its community-oriented initiatives, the building has been designated as a tsunami evacuation building by the city of Nagoya, and is intended for use by local residents. Part of the site will be opened to the public as a pedestrian walkway from the nearest station, "Arakogawa Park," aiming for "coexistence with the local community."
<Exterior view of the facility>
■ Amazon Nagoya Minato FC Overview
Location: Minato Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture
Access: Approximately 3.5km from the Minato-Akemi Interchange on the Nagoya Expressway Route 4 Tokai Line, and approximately 0.3km (about 3 minutes on foot) from Arakogawa-Koen Station on the Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Railway Aonami Line.
Operation start date: April 2025
Floor configuration: 4-story building; 1st floor is for receiving and shipping areas, etc.; 2nd to 4th floors are product storage areas (Amazon Robotics implemented floors).
Total floor area: Approximately 61,200 m2
Product storage capacity: Approximately 137 million cubic feet
Product inbound and outbound volumes: Over 60 units received and shipped per day (peak inbound and outbound volumes)
Product inventory: Over 1900 million units
Shipping destinations: We ship throughout Japan, primarily in the Tokai region.
Amazon Robotics: Approximately 3500 Drives and 31,000 Pods
Number of jobs created by the opening of this franchise: several thousand (including positions such as area managers, workplace safety and hygiene managers, product quality managers, equipment maintenance managers, and positions involving picking, packing, and shipping products using technology).
Operating hours: 24 hours
