Amazon Logistics

Company overview 

Amazon Logistics (AMZL) goal is to provide customers with an amazing experience from parcel delivery to the final stage. To do this, they work with a network of small independent delivery companies (delivery service providers) and the independent third-party community (Amazon Flex) to deliver orders to customers. Using continuous improvement initiatives and thinking creatively, their Delivery Station teams ensure that millions of packages reach their final destination as efficiently as possible. Amazon is always raising the bar on customer experience and applying lean thinking to operations, implementing innovative delivery solutions. 

AMZL's business continues to grow significantly around the world. Every person in the department has the opportunity to make an impact by pioneering new ideas, creating and launching global products and programs faster than ever before, and building teams, systems and tools from scratch. In the UK alone over the past 10 years Amazon Logistics (UK) had grown to 83 x delivery sites and 9 x sortation sites

Amazon’s ideals are driven by the ability to invent and simplify. They achieve results by thinking big and insisting on the highest standards.

The challenge

Amazon Logistics proves a year-on-year challenge due the volatile nature of the requirements, the high volume required, high attrition, retention, and candidate attraction as well as undesirable shift times and patterns. Amazon have extremely high expectations and are rigid when it comes to systems and process with agencies in line Service Level Agreements both from recruitment and the onsite model provided. 

In 2022, Quest we awarded 6 x launch sites on top of the existing 10. From the 16 sites Quest were to supply and service, Quest only had a geographical footprint in 5 existing locations. This would be a large increase for our National Recruitment Team.

The solution

With such expansion required several actions had to be taken, this included additions and the re-organisation of our onsite management structure as well as the vast expansion of our National Recruitment team, which also required additional levels of management added as well as relocation to larger service provided offices.

In the post Brexit environment, engagement and marketing was going to be key. Quest would engage with a marketing company to provide best practice to achieve these results.

Senior Stakeholders within Quest were appointed to oversee elements of the business that would help provide immediate support and decision making to allow for timely changes and direct financial decision making to ensure any barriers or challenges could be instantly overcome.

The results

Despite all the challenges the industry faced in 2021, Quest successfully met the challenge and the requirements needed without impacting the operation. This was a combination of successful engagement with Amazon teams including Workforce Staffing, Ops Teams, Procurement and Marketing. 

Over Q3 and Q4 over 10000 candidates would be provided for Day 1 inductions across the network of 16 sites. Two outstanding success stories would be for the new sites in both Lutterworth and Derby, both sites being geographically challenging due to not actually being in large population centres.

Where required a combination of transport solutions, targeted marketing campaigns and incentives were all successfully implemented to achieve success. 

Onsite teams were also able to provide away teams to site with the Amazon network that required support.