ETNA, Ohio (WTVN) -- Machines that look like overgrown Roomba robots move stacks of item crates around a fenced-off portion of an upper floor of the Amazon Fulfillment Center in southwest Licking County, just east of Columbus. Conveyor belts swiftly transport boxes through sorting mechanisms and toward their destinations.
Amazon executives say the automation in their facility is part of the heart of their operations. The other half, they say, is the people who make the machines run, and fix them when they break down.
Governor John Kasich keynoted the official opening of the Amazon facility in Etna Township. He insists the number one occupation in the United States, driving, is becoming obsolete. The Governor says career retraining is vital, as computers are further integrated into vehicles.
One Amazon executive says the Etna facility employes about 3,000 people.