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foxnews.com/tech/amazon-machines-replace-thousands-of-jobs
The machines, which were being tested in a few warehouses in recent years, are able to scan goods coming down a conveyor belt and put them in custom-built boxes a few seconds later.
The machines can pack up boxes at a rate of 600 to 700 per hour, or four to five times as fast as human workers, according to Reuters, which first reported the development.
Also at: Reuters
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New Amazon Machines Can Pack 600 Orders Per Hour, Could Replace Thousands of Jobs
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
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want to make some alterations.
-- Kim Hubbard
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Sunday May 19 2019, @05:35PM (20 children)
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday May 19 2019, @07:04PM (19 children)
$55M for machines, 1300 unskilled job cuts, probably 130 skilled (machine maintenance) job adds... call it a net 1000 unskilled cuts. Amazon must pay dirt for their unskilled labor if their ROI horizon is over a year at $55K per unskilled job.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday May 19 2019, @07:11PM (8 children)
Machines such as those break down all the fucking time and often work poorly when they are in service -- ff you thought Mexicans were poor freight handlers then you ain't seen nuthin' yet. Amazon could earn brownie points by retraining their best unskilled workers into maintenance mechanics, it would be a perfect opportunity to learn skills and those workers would probably stay out of loyalty after having received free training. Because we're a good 20-30 years away from machines repairing each other. I worked in a printing press so I have seen everything that can go wrong with packaging-style machines.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday May 19 2019, @07:21PM (1 child)
The machines don't have to be error-free. They just need to replace 25 workers with 3-5 or whatever.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Monday May 20 2019, @04:42AM
I bet they could save even more by standardizing on either glue *or* jam, without having to use both.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday May 19 2019, @07:25PM
Unless you're typing this look-ma!-no-hands! using your nose or something, no you haven't: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/6537600/Fonterra-fined-over-cheese-machine-accident [stuff.co.nz]
compiling...
(Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Monday May 20 2019, @02:12AM (2 children)
Particularly with those shoes getting wedged in them all the time. Really tends to clog up the works.
(Score: 1) by redneckmother on Monday May 20 2019, @04:22AM (1 child)
I see what you did there...
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 1) by redneckmother on Monday May 20 2019, @04:28AM
... also, nice (subtle) reference to "sabot".
Mas cerveza por favor.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Monday May 20 2019, @06:31PM (1 child)
Is that a thing? I mean, I don't associate Mexicans with freight handling, nor am I aware of any such stereotypes.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 20 2019, @08:58PM
it's just the fast, half-assed way mexicans (in the US) do everything. they needn't be freight handlers to demonstrate this characteristic. they have to be illegal and still scared of being deported, though. the more americanized mexicans do a half-assed and slow job...
(Score: 2) by https on Sunday May 19 2019, @08:50PM (7 children)
Paying dirt for labour is their entire business model.
Offended and laughing about it.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday May 19 2019, @11:06PM (6 children)
Putting shit in a box and slapping the sticker that automatically got printed out for you isn't exactly demanding work in any way. I imagine it's exceedingly unfulfilling as well. Epically shitty jobs like this absolutely should be automated.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Monday May 20 2019, @04:04AM (3 children)
OTOH, there exist people for whom this would be a challenging job.
OTGH, their efficiency is probably equally, um, challenging.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday May 20 2019, @10:42AM (2 children)
That's actually a better point than you'd think at first glance. Intelligence distribution falls out so that there are a non-trivial percentage of people so bloody stupid that they're not good for anything in a world where mindless tedium has been automated away. I'm not talking your average dumbass who can learn a useful skill eventually. I'm talking about the ones so slow that the Army thinks they're worthless as infantry or even cooks. That's going to become an issue even if it isn't yet. I think it's one we can deal with but it doesn't need to be forgotten.
IMO, they need something to do though rather than a permanent handout. Temporarily helping someone down on their luck's one thing but people, despite how nice a temporary break from it is, do not exist well for long periods without purpose. Depression and anti-social mental disorders start cropping up with alarming frequency in people who do nothing productive.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ewk on Monday May 20 2019, @01:47PM (1 child)
"Depression and anti-social mental disorders start cropping up with alarming frequency in people who do nothing productive."
As witnessed here daily :-)
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(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday May 21 2019, @01:13AM
Oh to be able to be lumped in with that group. I've shoveled many tons of rock in the past few weeks. It's easier on my RSI than swinging a sledge hammer but I still wake up every morning barely able to hold a cup of coffee until I get everything stretched out and loosened up again.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday May 20 2019, @04:57AM (1 child)
I hate agreeing with you
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday May 20 2019, @10:47AM
I'm not always fond of agreeing with me either. Not every correct conclusion is a pleasant one.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Monday May 20 2019, @02:36AM
4 to 5 times faster than a human. Don't forget that the machines are going to run 24/7. It's probably replacing 12 to 15 workers.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday May 20 2019, @02:35PM
$13 per hour for packers if you believe glassdoor.com [glassdoor.com]. Although I didn't throw in the $869 (/year?) additional they list, $54,080 / year even if you double the hourly for benefits/overhead on a 40 by 52 basis (and they'd be crazy to use actual FT for workers - they should load with PT's to avoid benefits). And my guess is that the average would offset where $15 is minimum wage with an equal number of $11 jobs.
Figure that the $55 million is depreciated over 5 years for $11 million / year cost, and you get breakeven at 203.4 FTE cuts. It jumps to 271.2 FTE if you figure bennies/OH at half of salary ($19.60/hour gross expense).
This sig for rent.