Amazon formally opens robotic fulfillment center in Clay

CLAY, N.Y. — Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), the Seattle, Washington–based ecommerce giant, on Thursday formally opened its robotic-fulfillment center at 7211 Morgan Road in Clay.

The five-story, more than 3-million-square-foot center has been in operation since early May, Irfaan Hafeez, Amazon site leader for the Clay center, told CNYBJ.

Company officials and local dignitaries gathered for the opening event outside the entrance to the Amazon location, which the company refers to as SYR1.

It is Amazon’s largest facility in New York, Jennifer Cruickshank, Amazon head of New York public policy and community engagement, said to her open the ceremony. The center currently employs 1,500 people with plans to hire more, she added.

“We’ve got so many opportunities here … so many different types of jobs for the people of this community,” Cruickshank said.

The Amazon employees are working with the latest robotic technology, Hafeez said to open his remarks.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon publicly announced Amazon was coming to Clay in May 2020. It followed what he called a “highly competitive process for this project” during his Thursday morning remarks.

“What we’re talking about has been over $400 million invested in our community by arguably the greatest logistics company in the world and one of the best technology companies in the world,” McMahon said.

He also noted that Amazon invested more than $1.75 million for robotics and computer-science technology improvements at the upcoming STEAM school in downtown Syracuse

STEAM is short for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The STEAM school will be housed at the downtown building that was previously home to Central High School. Known as the Greystone building, it was last used as a school in 1976.

Amazon also provided funding for this weekend’s Syracuse Jazz Fest in downtown venues and Clinton Square, McMahon added.