Amazon Canada opens robotics facility near Ottawa

Amazon Canada is celebrating the opening of its newest robotics facility, YOW3, in Barrhaven, Ontario. YOW3 is the only facility of its kind in Canada and he is one of five in the world.

We aim to create more than 2,500 jobs and provide opportunities for employees to work with new technologies.

“This new state-of-the-art fulfillment center has created thousands of jobs in Ottawa. Building on this momentum, we will continue to attract investment and employment from other global companies, making us an ideal logistics and distribution hub. We are confident that we will be able to solidify Ottawa’s reputation in the industry.”

YOW3 will store up to 20 million items at a time and span over 2.6 million square feet over four floors.

Amazon’s ROBIN, RWC4, and Kemit robots are each designed to improve the employee experience by enhancing safety and productivity.

Robin: A robotic arm that can split, grip, manipulate, identify and place packages into a sorting bot. Helps improve employee experience by supporting repetitive tasks for employees.

RWC4: A robotic arm sorting packages, a logistics unit at Amazon’s facility center Destinations and building palettes.

Kemit: A trolley that can tow empty loads throughout the facility and adjust speed and route as needed.

“Robots can be used to assist employees with heavy lifting and repetitive tasks,” said Harsh Khaitan, Regional Director of Operations, Amazon Canada. “We are piloting technology with the goal of increasing safety, improving the employee experience, and serving our customers.”

Other technology within the facility includes a Canadian-made semi-automatic packing station, over 12 kilometers of conveyor belts, and a semi-automatic loading station.