VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Do you ever wonder how your Amazon order gets to your house so quickly? Well, it's due in part to a brand new Amazon facility in Virginia Beach.
On Tuesday, Amazon representatives and state and local leaders celebrated a ribbon cutting of the new facility off Dam Neck Road, not far from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The 208,000 square foot delivery station has been open since shortly before the holidays last year, but this was a chance for city leaders and the media to get a first-hand look.
In the meantime, a second building, which will be a fulfillment center, is still under construction. It's expected to open later this year.
Amazon managers describe this facility as the coordination site for the last mile of your package's journey. They say the machine pictured below processes about 5,000 packages in just one hour.
On Tuesday's media tour, Cory Clark, a senior station manager, explained how new technology is helping Amazon get packages to your doorstep faster.
"The technology you’ve witnessed inside this building didn’t exist four years ago. The EDVs, the electric delivery vehicles that you’re looking at here, were first launched in the state of Virginia. We didn’t have those a few years ago, so Amazon’s always trying to strive to be better, more efficient," said Clark.
Amazon says the new delivery station employs about 600 people, including drivers.
They are still hiring drivers and say they’ll likely add more warehouse staff in the summertime.
