Inside an Amazon FC: What Retailers and Brands Can Learn from the Pros of Fulfillment

Last week, I had the chance to tour an Amazon Fulfillment Center (FC) in Chicago with members of their Supply Chain Services team. As someone who's spent years helping brands optimize their order and inventory operations, this visit was eye-opening—not just for the scale and automation, but for the operational language that powers Amazon’s relentless efficiency.

If you’re a retailer or brand leader considering 3P fulfillment solutions—or still wondering how to compete with Prime-level expectations—it’s worth understanding how Amazon thinks inside the box. Here's a quick rundown of key terms and what they reveal about Amazon’s fulfillment DNA:

"Reactive"

This is Amazon-speak for problem-solving on the floor in real time. If there's a disruption—like a missing tote, a system flag, or an unexpected inventory exception—teams go into reactive mode to diagnose and resolve it before it affects outbound SLAs. It's a cultural signal that speed and ownership matter.

"CAP" = Count, Amnesty, Process

A quality control ritual done daily in fulfillment centers:

• Count: Validate what’s physically in a location vs. what’s in the system.
• Amnesty: Identify misplaced inventory without assigning blame—fix the problem, not the person.
• Process: Reconcile data and move inventory to where it belongs.

It's a subtle reminder that inventory accuracy isn’t a system job—it’s a frontline discipline.

"Decanting"

Nope, not wine. In an FC, decanting is the process of taking inbound items from vendor packaging and prepping them into Amazon totes or standardized bins. It ensures products are in optimal form for picking—removing friction before it happens.

For brands, this step is what allows Amazon to maintain speed while preserving item integrity. It’s also a hidden cost driver if you're not thinking about packaging design or prep compliance.

"Dance Floor"

Possibly my favorite term. The dance floor is the open space near pack stations or outbound docks where teams dynamically shift between tasks to keep fulfillment moving. It’s where people, robots, and packages move in harmony—hence the metaphor.

The dance floor represents Amazon’s obsession with flow. Everything is designed to keep SKUs, people, and data in sync, minute by minute.

Automated Packing: Box on Demand + Smart Pack

Watching Amazon’s automated packing systems in action is like seeing industrial ballet.

Here’s what stood out:

• Box-on-Demand machines build right-sized boxes in real time for multi-SKU orders—reducing void fill, minimizing waste, and protecting fragile items.
• Smart Pack automates the packing of single-unit, small-sized items. It’s ultra-efficient—scanning, sizing, and sealing without human touch.

Together, these systems deliver:

✅ Cost savings

✅ Faster SLAs

✅ Reduced carbon footprint

For retailers, it's a wake-up call: personalized packaging at scale is no longer futuristic—it’s table stakes.

Robotic Palletizing Arms

Before orders hit the outbound dock, robotic arms take over. These palletizing robots stack outbound totes with machine-level precision—accounting for weight, route sequencing, and carrier preferences.

This isn’t just a robotics showcase. It’s Amazon ensuring that every outbound trailer is maximized for speed and efficiency.

The result? Fewer missed cutoffs. Smoother handoffs to middle- and last-mile. Happier customers.

What This Means for Retailers & Brands

Touring the FC felt like a glimpse into what a world-class fulfillment-as-a-service model really looks like. With Amazon’s cross-dock, regional FCs, middle-mile transport, and last-mile delivery networks, the infrastructure is there—not just to compete with Prime speeds, but to embed them into your own brand promise.

If you’re struggling with distributed inventory, high shipping costs, or poor post-purchase experiences, the answer may not be another in-house warehouse or OMS customization. It might be time to explore Amazon Supply Chain Services more seriously—as a strategic advantage, not a compromise.

Your customers already trust Amazon’s delivery muscle. Why not make it work for your brand too?