It is likely that we have all ordered from Amazon at least once or twice. Since the US e-commerce site launched in the UAE in May 2019, with Amazon Prime coming a month later, it has become a convenient go-to, with next-day and same-day delivery.
But just how does an operation as giant as Amazon work? We took a look inside its largest fulfilment centre in the UAE, stocked with more than 4 million products, spread over 32,700 square metres with more than 650 staff members, to find out.
Modern Willy Wonka
Touring the DXB3 centre, in Dubai Logistics City, we felt like we had been shown behind the curtain of a top-secret space, with an almost Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-level of intrigue.
The well-oiled machine is as you'd expect – noisy, fast-paced and vast, but also incredibly slick. To the untrained eye, there does not seem to be an idle hand (or pair of feet) on the floor.
It is expansive, with seemingly endless shelving, branded boxes as far as the eye can see, and carousels spiralling crates down from upper levels of the centre to the ground floor.
Touring the Amazon fulfilment centre
In the US, Canada and at various sites in Europe, members of the public could take tours of Amazon's fulfilment centres, giving customers a chance to see what happens after they click "Buy Now", as well as working conditions within the spaces. However, these are on pause during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prashant Saran, director of operations for Amazon Mena, does not rule this kind of transparency out for the Dubai fulfilment centres.
"Given Covid-19 right now, of course there are restrictions. We try to keep safety first, but that is definitely something we want to enable in this region," Saran told The National following our tour.
Process of an Amazon package
We were given a detailed breakdown of the journey of a package by Geoffrey Khalil, the inbound operations manager. In a nutshell, everything coming into the fulfilment centre, and the people working with that inventory, fall under his remit.
You won't find a row of pet food, followed by a row of beauty products and children's toys – the fulfilment centre is not set-up like a library or supermarket
"Everything at the fulfilment centre is enabled by the wonderful people that work for us; they are some of the most customer-obsessed people on the planet," Saran explains. "And through technology, which is the secret sauce, it enables the whole process."
From the moment items are received at the centre and added to the site's inventory physically as well as virtually, they can be bought by customers.
The items are then stowed away on shelves. Interestingly, there is no strict system that dictates exactly where a product is stored. A system of barcodes guide staff to where products are found, but you won't find a row of pet food, followed by a row of beauty products and children's toys – it is not set up like a library or supermarket.
The Amazon term for collecting items for orders is "picking", the process during which staff members walk among the shelves and select items as indicated on their scanners. They shout "corner" before turning around bends as a health and safety precaution with or without a trolley; it's a call that becomes a soundtrack to the day.
Orders, or parts of orders, are batched in yellow crates, and then separated into complete orders, a process they call "rebinning". When a staff member is picking, they are not necessarily working on one single order or even whole orders – they're broken up by an AI system that assigns orders to be collected in the most time-efficient manner.
When orders are regrouped and ready to go to the customer, they are scanned and packed, but remain unlabelled.
Then comes the "slam" process. Slam is an acronym, which stands for Scan, Label, Apply and Manifest. The technology at this station scans the box and, based on the weight, immediately knows to print the correct shipping label on the box.
From there, the item leaves the building and is shipped off to the customer.
Covid-19 and Amazon
It is no secret that Amazon as a whole has benefited from the Covid-19 pandemic. A time when people could not leave their houses made a company that would bring shopping to their doors – be it essential or luxury buys – almost indispensable. Its 2020 sales surged 38 per cent to $386.1 billion from a year earlier, according to figures released by the company in February.
Saran plays this down, saying that "the onset of the pandemic was a challenging time for all of us". However, he is clear that the company's primary focus was introducing safety measures that would allow them to continue to function.
"As we [at Amazon] started to come to terms with this new reality, we were absolutely clear that our topmost priority was safety. We had to make sure we put in place robust mechanisms, including technology innovations, process changes and training, to make sure that people are safe."
Walking around the centre there are clear processes. There is an AI camera system that sounds an alarm if people are walking within two metres of each other, tables in the lunchroom are amply spaced out and there are screens between the stationary workspaces, as well as mandatory face masks and hand sanitiser dispensers, which have been installed throughout the centre.
The company claims to have invested $11.5 billion on more than 150 processes related to Covid-19.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What's%20in%20my%20pazhamkootan%3F
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdd%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EParippu%20%E2%80%93%20moong%20dal%20and%20coconut%20curry%3Cbr%3ESambar%20%E2%80%93%20vegetable-infused%20toor%20dal%20curry%3Cbr%3EAviyal%20%E2%80%93%20mixed%20vegetables%20in%20thick%20coconut%20paste%3Cbr%3EThoran%20%E2%80%93%20beans%20and%20other%20dry%20veggies%20with%20spiced%20coconut%3Cbr%3EKhichdi%20%E2%80%93%20lentil%20and%20rice%20porridge%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOptional%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EKootukari%20%E2%80%93%20stew%20of%20black%20chickpeas%2C%20raw%20banana%2C%20yam%20and%20coconut%20paste%3Cbr%3EOlan%20%E2%80%93%20ash%20gourd%20curry%20with%20coconut%20milk%3Cbr%3EPulissery%20%E2%80%93%20spiced%20buttermilk%20curry%3Cbr%3ERasam%20%E2%80%93%20spice-infused%20soup%20with%20a%20tamarind%20base%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvoid%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EPayasam%20%E2%80%93%20sweet%20vermicelli%20kheer%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Specs
Engine 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp (542bhp in GTS model)
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000 (Dh549,000 for GTS)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
