Amazon Opens Westborough Robotics Factory With 200 Jobs

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Amazon christened a new robotics manufacturing facility in Westborough on Thursday, which the company says is adding 200 jobs in the area.

Inside the Otis Street factory, workers will assemble mobile drive units for machines that sort and fulfill orders inside Amazon warehouses. The 350,000 square-foot facility will also house corporate and research and development labs.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy attended Thursday's ribbon-cutting in Westborough.

"The opening of this new state-of-the-art robotics facility creates new jobs for individuals across a wide range of skills and backgrounds in addition to the 1,500 new seasonal jobs Amazon has created in the Commonwealth as the company continues its investment in the state’s economic growth and development," Polito said in a news release.

The Westborough facility was first announced in November 2019. The factory replaced the iconic former Astra Zeneca facility, which featured pyramid-shaped office buildings.

Seattle-based Amazon operates another robotics facility in North Reading, plus many local shipping facilities — including ones nearby in Northborough and Milford, and another under construction in Worcester replacing the Greendale Mall.

Amazon also touted that it is hiring about 1,500 seasonal workers in 2021 for the Christmas rush. The company is hiring about 150,000 nationwide for seasonal jobs.