The new Amazon delivery station on Oʻahu debuted Wednesday, and boasts state-of-the-art technology to speed up local deliveries and improve tracking.
The 14-acre station on Sand Island is scheduled to start operations this month. Cargo will be sorted there and local businesses partnered with Amazon will make final deliveries to customers.
The online retail giant has been expanding in the state since 2018, and already has Amazon Air facilities on Oʻahu, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi.
“What you see in front of you here today is just the further expansion of that transportation network, which will improve our ability to service our customers, enable our customers to have full transparency for where their packages are, and really help us improve how we deliver,” said John Tagawa, Amazon’s vice president of North American operations.
He said faster, more efficient deliveries depend on Amazon’s transportation network, which is expanding with the new facility set to start operations this month.
Tagawa spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility this week. It was attended by some of the state’s top local officials, including Gov. Josh Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, state lawmakers and local business leaders.
He said the delivery station will create 500 jobs — doubling the total number of Amazon employees already in the state.
But Amazon’s potential future influence on the state economy and its efforts to diversify were key talking points for many local officials in attendance.
“I really believe in this facility as a catalyst for reinventing technology and the innovation economy here in Hawaiʻi. Amazon is already in Phoenix delivering parcels by drone. There's not much robotics here now, but there will be in the future,” said Sen. Glenn Wakai.
He added, “Why can't we have the neighboring companies and businesses around this area be the catalyst for all the innovation that Amazon is going to need to grow into in the future?”
Amazon officials said the company has invested $800 million in Hawaiʻi since 2010, and has added $500 million to the state’s economy. They plan on expanding in the state even more in the future.
