Amazon customers especially those in the ‘prime’ category can expect to have their respective packages to be delivered within a day or two with the multinational giant opening its biggest facility in the country at the Shamshabad International Airport on Thursday.
The 4 lakh sq.ft ‘fulfilment centre’ providing 2.1 million cubic feet of storage space will be fifth such centre in Telangana taking the total storage space to 3.2 million cubic feet in the State which will also directly benefit the 10,000 sellers enrolled, according to Akhil Saxena, vice-president, India Customer Fulfilment, at the inaugural launch.
Built in less than a year, the centre which can handle up to 1,000 trucks a day is totally digitised with a 1.6 km long conveyor belt for moving all kinds of bar-coded goods with packaging material supplied by local businessmen and employs scores of workers involved in packing, transporting, coding, etc. “We are totally focussed on our sellers and buyers trying to innovate on how India buys and sells. From 100 sellers in two categories to 100 million products we have come a long way in the last four years with 2 lakh sellers,” he said.
Growth in TS
There are 41 fulfilment centres in 13 States with 50 delivery centres in TS and 2,000 partners in kirana shops, teashops, beauty parlours, etc. “We have seen 100% growth and in Telangana alone our sellers have increased by 120% to 10,000,” said Mr. Saxena, while refusing to part with any investment figures.
GMR Airport CEO C.G.K. Kishore said that the centre will add to the investor confidence in the city and State and hoped to see an ‘Amazon Park’ to come up here. Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said the centre launch was a proud moment and the Government was getting ready with a retail trade and logistics policy for promotion of e-commerce, warehousing firms and dry ports.
Hyderabad’s geographical location, infrastructure, connectivity and policies is an added attraction, he said and pointed out that the biggest development facility of Amazon will also be opened next year.