Amazon is headed to Atlanta. That's right. The Big "A" is headed to Hotlanta. The e-commerce giant is scheduled to open a distribution center located 50 miles north of Atlanta, in Braselton, GA.
The new facility will be huge, expected to span 600,000 square feet.
But what exactly is a distribution center?
Definition
A distribution center is a facility used for the receipt, temporary storage, and redistribution of goods according to the customer orders.
Purpose
In layman's terms, a distribution center is a logistical hub in the supply chain. Retailers ship and store their product temporarily so that large quantities can be broken down, sorted, and distributed based upon demand for that product.
In other words, it's one of the reasons Amazon is able to fufill your 2-day shipping orders.
This particular facility will be used to pick, pack, and ship larger items that cannot go through the traditonal sort-item system, according to Amazon.
Amazon has not given offical word as to when the center will open, but it is expected that they will have the distrbution hub set up and running in time for the 2016 holiday rush.
Employing 500 full time employees, this will be Amazon's fourth distribution center in Georgia. When the Braselton center opens, Amazon will boast 165 distribution centers globally, with more to come.
