Inside the huge new Amazon unit in the run up to busy Christmas

In previous years, we have visited Amazon’s huge Warrington fulfilment centre at Omega to see what happens from the moment you click buy.

This year, we took a look around the global firm’s second site in the town – its delivery station across the road.

A worker sorts parcels

The 18,800 square metre building at Omega Park has been fully operational and serving customers since September 2021.

Nada Baki, delivery station manager, explained how the station is one of the largest sites of its kind in the country, sorting tens of thousands of parcels throughout the day for delivery across the area, and as far away as north Wales.

The fulfilment centre has millions of items stored on a number of levels, picked by robots and prepared by human workers for transportation to a delivery station.

The vast size of the station

Such stations are referred to as the ‘last mile’ of the Amazon network, as they see your order prepared for delivery and dropped off at your front door.

Items come to the delivery station by HGV already packed, and after they are unloaded, they are sorted into routes and loaded onto the correct van.

Close to 100,000 items are delivered from the delivery station during the busy Christmas period – helped along the way by around 340 workers assigned at the station and 30 members of the management and supervisor team.

Delivery station manager Nada Baki

In the past six weeks, roughly 120 additional workers have been hired to deal with seasonal demand, and this is set to increase further in the run up to Christmas.

Moreover, parcels are delivered by around 800 drivers, with 12 waves of deliveries occurring regularly every day.

Among the orders most seen at the centre recently are air fryers and RockJam guitars, while in summer these are usually electric fans and jet washers.

Vans arrive ready to be loaded for delivery to himes

Workers are assisted by technology such as scanners which then light up the right shelf to place items ready for delivery.

One such worker is Mohammed Ali, from Old Hall, who explained to us how roles vary throughout the week from picking items and loading vans.

As well as Christmas presents, the station is also essential to businesses such as Peregrine LTD – a specialist business courier in Cheshire co-owned by Chris Holland, from Winnington, who has progressed through the ranks from a driver, to on-site manager to business owner.

Mohammed Ali working at the station

His typical day seen him arrive at the station before 6am to oversee the delivery process and ensure his clients get the products they have ordered.

“The whole process is a constant wheel turning,” he explained.

Chris Holland is a business owner who uses the station

“I always remember a phrase I was told, that Amazon is always building the plane while it is still flying, and that is what it is like – it is always changing and adapting.”

As well as the delivery aspect, the station is also used for driver training.