Amazon's Catalonia hub named European benchmark in technological innovation and sustainability

Amazon's first-mile fulfillment centre in El Prat de Llobregat, about 10 kilometres from Barcelona, is approaching its 10th anniversary and is one of the company's ten hubs in Spain. 

The general manager, Catalan Carlos Ordeig, said the El Prat de Llobregat site plays a "key role" within the company's European network. 

"We have positioned ourselves as a reference centre for technological innovations to improve the safety and ergonomics of our workers." Ordeig said.

The facility covers 200,000 square metres, operates 22.5 kilometres of conveyor belts and employs around 3,000 people. 

According to Ordeig, its importance lies both in the volume of packages it handles, about 500,000 items under 15 kilos every day, and in the level of innovation it has achieved.

The site has emerged as a European benchmark for technological innovation focused on improving ergonomics and sustainability – featuring a pioneering collaborative machine designed to eliminate repetitive tasks and improve ergonomics. 

This equipment collects containers arriving on the conveyor belt, reads barcodes and places them onto carts, freeing up part of the manual workload and making it easier to reassign tasks. 

The facility has also introduced a new packaging machine, the first of its kind in Spain, using 'Smart Paper' technology that produces custom-sized paper bags in real time. 

Once the product is placed in the machine, sensors measure its dimensions and automatically create a protective bag with the exact required size.

It reduces paper usage by 26 grams per package and doubles processing capacity to more than 700 packages per hour.