STAFF in different areas of the Amazon warehouse took a few minutes out of their day to explain their role in fulfilling customer orders. 

The team has settled into their new workplace over the last month and received all the training they need to work in each part of the process, from when the stock arrives in random boxes to when it leaves again in precisely-packaged parcels ready for shoppers to receive on their doorsteps.

Florentino Mhanca spoke to the Adver on the receive line, where stock has just been dropped off and needs to be sent upstairs to sort.

He said: “It’s a challenge all the time. This is a place where you can achieve whatever you want to achieve and noone can stop you.

“I started here nearly two years ago. It’s an amazing opportunity to learn the process, there’s always someone around to help you, it’s a very supportive place.

“The day-to-day is always different, you never have two similar days, you come in and do different things and get trained in different areas.

“Everyone here started rhe day doing something but by the end of the shift, they’ll be doing something else, so it’s hard to be bored, you’re always moving around, depending on where they need you.

“You’re working with very experienced people - the managers, the leads - and the learning process never stops.”

Katharine Cullerton showed us how the jumbled goods are scanned and stowed into pods.

She said: “I like the opportunities here and the different jobs you can do within the same role.

“I love the team spirit because I’m a team player, so the amount of people you can work alongside is lovely.

“My younger son works at the Amazon centre in Basildon so it was funny when he told me about it.”

 

Callum Atkins supervises the staff who are picking items from the pods - which are each individually numbered - and sending them downstairs in tote boxes to be packaged.

A screen guides the team at each station and a light projects onto the pods to highlight which products need to be removed from the pods.

The 24-year-old observes from a distance and uses a computer to check everything is running smoothly.

He used to work in the nearby Sainsbury’s as a manager on the night shifts for three years.

His goal now is to make sure the goods are not sat around for too long in the pods or the boxes, because that could slow the whole process down.

Callum said: “I enjoyed my old job at Sainsbury’s - and it was similar because I was sorting lots of stock for the shelves at high speed - but there is only so far you can go there.

“I’ve had a lot of training in just three weeks, it’s been fantastic. There are a lot of promotion opportunities which is exactly what I was looking for.

“Here, people can work their way up to senior roles. A year from now, I would like to be a team leader.

“My colleagues have already shown me what I need to do to get there and be a reserve team leader who can step up when the current one is away.”

FULL STORY: Rare glimpse inside Amazon fulfilment centre