Amazon (AMZN, Financial) just hit a milestone with its one-millionth warehouse robot deployed in Japan, pushing its robot-to-human ratio toward parity as it expands the world's largest fleet of industrial mobile bots.
About 75% of Amazon's global deliveries now get a helping hand from robots, which operate across more than 300 fulfillment centers, and the average headcount per facility fell to roughly 670 last year—the lowest in 16 years—according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
Over the same period, packages shipped per employee jumped to about 3,870 from 175 in 2015, highlighting steep productivity gains as robotics ease heavy staff turnover and absorb menial tasks. Amazon is also rolling out DeepFleet, a new generative AI foundation model designed to make its entire robot fleet smarter and more efficient.
Why It Matters: As Amazon leans ever more on automation, labor costs may shrink and throughput rise, potentially boosting margins and reshaping employment dynamics in logistics hubs.
