Doug Herrington, the CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores, recently visited the SHV1 Amazon fulfillment center located in north Shreveport, Louisiana. Herrington’s responsibilities encompass oversight of Amazon’s global online and mobile shopping operations, worldwide fulfillment, Prime, Amazon Grocery, Amazon Business, Selling Partner Services, and Amazon Health Services.
In a video shared on his LinkedIn account a week ago, Herrington informed employees that his visit to Shreveport was to showcase the latest advancements in technology within a single location. The SHV1 facility, which opened in mid-2024, spans approximately 2.5 million square feet, an area equivalent to over 50 football fields. The facility features over 23 miles of “conveyance” systems designed to move items between stations.
SHV1 was the first of Amazon’s centers to implement Proteus, small, green autonomous robots. These robots, standing just 7.8 inches tall, can lift carts holding up to 900 pounds of products. Divina Mims, public relations manager for field communications, explained in December, “Once Proteus gets a cart, then it’ll take it over to the area over there, like on the other side of all these lanes and they’ll line them up for employees to then take the cart. The employee now can take it out to outbound to put onto a truck. These are fully ready to go.”
Cameras and sensors enable Proteus to avoid collisions with people and other moving equipment. SHV1 also pioneered the use of the Cardinal robotic arm, a device that uses suction to pick up, scan, and sort boxes.
Mims noted that as the newest Amazon Fulfillment Center, SHV1 was selected to test the newest generation of robotics, AI technology, and other state-of-the-art features. Herrington stated that these innovations were the primary reason for his visit, emphasizing that SHV1 features the “newest technology we have across Amazon for pick.” He also discussed the Proteus drivers, the facility’s new index stations, and the AI-powered inventory system.
The video also revealed that on a recent day, the facility automated half of its total volume. Despite the significant role of automation in handling up to one million packages daily, SHV1 continues to require human employees and actively recruits new hires.
At the Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate Economic Summit in January, Justyn Dixon, Executive Director of the North Louisiana Economic Development Partnership, stated, “They committed to 1,000 jobs. I will tell you, in the next year or two, they will be at 2,500 and they are actively hiring, They will continue to hire.” Dixon also indicated that Amazon’s investment in the SHV1 facility was approximately five times the initial $200 million commitment.
Amazon operates “multichannel fulfillment” centers worldwide. More than 175 of these centers are located in the United States. Louisiana is home to over 3,000 Amazon employees. In addition to the Shreveport fulfillment center, Amazon has facilities in Baton Rouge, Carencro, Port Allen, delivery stations in Jefferson Parish and Abbeville, and the Amazon Air Gateway in New Orleans.
