Amazon to make big change to deliveries from Sutton Coldfield fulfilment site

Customers in Birmingham will soon notice a big change in their Amazon deliveries as its Sutton Coldfield site is set to get new technology.

The fulfilment centre at Peddimore, on the edge of Sutton, is one of 18 UK hubs set to receive automated packaging machines.

Rather than having small items delivered in ill-fitting boxes or too-big packets, customers will soon receive custom-made cardboard boxes and paper bags, reducing packaging.

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Amazon said: “The innovative new technology creates right-sized packaging, cutting waste and improving delivery efficiency.”

The firm is increasing the number of machines from one currently to 19 in the UK, so more customers receive made-to-fit packaging.

It also plans to install hundreds of the machines across Europe, with 70 to be installed this year.

Among the UK sites to get the new machines will be Sutton, Durham and Tilbury, with more to follow in 2027.

In addition to convenience, the machines also reduce delivery emissions by minimising material use, eliminating waste, and maximising vehicle space, enabling more deliveries with fewer vehicles.

Pat Lindner, vice president of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging at Amazon, said: " To reduce waste, we need to reduce packaging.

“We use machine learning and automation to create packaging that’s made to fit, reducing excess materials while making sure the product remains protected.

“We’re now installing automated packaging machines in our facilities across the UK and Europe to better serve our customers and the planet.

“This investment is a significant step forward in reducing the environmental impact of deliveries for our European customers.”

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The custom-made cardboard boxes are made in real time using ‘automation and precise-sizing technology’.

Employees place an item into the machine, which uses sensors to measure its dimensions and automatically produce a box that is made to fit, reducing excess packaging material.

The machine applies shipping labels directly, making each package ready for immediate dispatch to customers.

It will be used to pack heavier or more fragile items that need more protection than a padded envelope provides.

While Amazon’s packaging engineers have reimagined a machine originally used to create plastic bags and retrofitted it to cut made-to-fit paper bags.

Sensors measure an order’s dimensions, and then the new device creates a correctly sized, protective bag using a durable, weather-resistant paper and heat-sealing technology

After being tested in fulfilment centres in Germany and the UK, this new technology will now be rolled out across both countries, as well as France, Italy and Spain.

Amazon said: “By packing items in recyclable, light paper packaging, without the need for padding, the machines help to avoid more than 26 grams of packaging per shipment, on average.

“Lightweight paper bags used are up to 90 per cent lighter than similar-sized cardboard boxes.”

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And a universal robotic labeller will be used to place smaller labels onto packages, including irregularly shaped items.

It can use labels up to 75 per cent smaller than standard labels, helping to reduce packaging dimensions and using less material overall.

The labels can also be placed onto paper bags, or directly onto items that ship in their own product packaging, eliminating the need for additional packaging altogether.

The firm said one in two of its shipments in Europe are already delivered without a box and come in reduced, recyclable packaging.

Amazon said since 2015 it has reduced the average per-shipment packaging weight by 43 per cent, which amounts to more than three million metric tons of packaging avoided.