Amazon hiring 1,200 people at new Kent fulfillment center

KENT, Wash. — Our cameras were allowed inside the Amazon's fulfillment center in DuPont on Cyber on Monday.  Robots and people were working together.

Now on this MLK Monday, Amazon announced it is ready to start doing similar work in Kent.

Amazon Spokeswoman Ashley Robinson says there are "over 1,200 jobs."  The workers will fill orders in Kent's new 800,00-square-foot fulfillment center.

"So these would be associates who would be picking, packing and shipping customer items that tend to be smaller," said Robinson.  "So we're talking about books, electronic devices, toys."

"It really is people interacting with robots and product fulfillment," said Kent Councilwoman Dana Ralph.

She says the city has long attracted companies on the cutting edge.

After all, not far from the new Amazon building, Boeing developed the lunar rover that hitched a ride to the moon on Apollo 15.

"There's a lot of innovation happening here," said Ralph. "We have companies like REI and Starbucks.  Blue Origin is here building rockets.  So there's, there's a whole lot going on that's drawing these major companies, these really innovative companies to the Kent Valley.

It was welcome news on Kent's streets, too.

"It's a hub for anybody, you know," said Franchot Burks of Lakewood.  "And it's a good thing for the community. Bring jobs in. Bring money in. You can't never go wrong with more jobs."

Amazon wouldn't say exactly when work will start there but it is likely to begin sometime in the spring.

Once up and running, the fulfillment center will operate 20 hours a day.

The online retailer wants potential employees to go on line to apply for the jobs.

KIRO