[MUSIC].
This is Boxed and the e-commerce start up that sells bulk consumer goods.
[BLANK_AUDIO]
Earlier this year, the company retrofit this warehouse in Union, New Jersey to become fully automated.
The fulfillment center itself is about 144,000 sq.
ft.
But we do have over two miles of conveyor in the automated environment.
Rick Zumpano, box VP of distribution helped design the new warehouse.
It includes some customized tech including this in house designed autonomous cart called an agv.
It's meant to shoulder some of the manual labor for workers so they don't have to lug around as much stuff.
The company turned to automation to keep up with its rapid growth.
This was in Shay's garage four years ago.
And I didn't believe it until I saw the pictures.
But it's our fourth version of a fulfillment center.
But in the interest of supporting its employees, Boxed decided to avoid laying off workers and instead retrain them to work alongside the new machines.
Is a big change.
But for good.
So imagine picking 700 items per day.
And you know manual work.
The training is not that long.
Is not frustrating.
Is very Very easy.
And to me, it's [UNKNOWN].
It wouldn't take me more than an hour.
[MUSIC]
My name is Chieh Huang.
I'm one of the Cofounders and the CEO here at Boxed.
When you're going to [UNKNOWN] today, there isn't a single person that probably doesn't interact with some digital piece of the [UNKNOWN] probably hourly.
While automation is bringing in a lot of changes, Juan doesn't see that trend slowing down.
I can't name too many times where society and humans in general came and said, stop with the technological advancement.
We're happy where we
[MUSIC]
We are.
It just seems like it's the course of history.
And we have to do our best to embrace it and to guide it, rather than have it dictate to us how it will affect society
