What Inside El Paso’s Amazon Fulfillment Center Could Look Like (PHOTOS)

After weeks of rumors and whispers, Amazon officially confirmed one of El Paso's worst kept secrets; the retail giant is setting up shop here — and bringing 700 jobs with it.

As 93.1 KISS-FM previously reported, construction of a massive “fulfillment center" is underway on the eastside between Rojas and Interstate 10 near Eastlake. Employees will work alongside Amazon robots to pick, pack and ship orders, according to the announcement.

What exactly is a fulfillment center? Basically, a giant warehouse. But here’s how Amazon describes it:

The name reflects the function: Amazon fulfillment centers are charged with fulfilling customer orders. In other words, Amazon warehouses not only store products but also serve as distribution centers where associates pick, pack, and ship orders quickly and efficiently. Amazon robotics, scanning machines, and computer systems in fulfillment centers can track millions of items in a day.

Robots?! Do humans and robots work harmoniously or do they function as overlords?

It’s not humans vs. robots, it’s humans + robots. Robotics, combined with Artificial Intelligence, allows us to have a broader array of products in our fulfillment centers and to move those products to our FC associates and to customers most efficiently. You may have seen pictures of these little orange boxes that scoot under shelves. In centers equipped with robotics, employees now lift and walk less. Robots pick up heavy items to prep them for shipping or for stowage.

Below is what El Paso’s Amazon fulfillment center could look like once completed. The photos are from inside a few that have opened across the country in the last year or two.