It is likely that we have all ordered from Amazon at least once or twice. Since the US e-commerce site launched in the UAE in May 2019, with Amazon Prime coming a month later, it has become a convenient go-to, with next-day and same-day delivery.
But just how does an operation as giant as Amazon work? We took a look inside its largest fulfilment centre in the UAE, stocked with more than 4 million products, spread over 32,700 square metres with more than 650 staff members, to find out.
Modern Willy Wonka
Touring the DXB3 centre, in Dubai Logistics City, we felt like we had been shown behind the curtain of a top-secret space, with an almost Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-level of intrigue.
The well-oiled machine is as you'd expect – noisy, fast-paced and vast, but also incredibly slick. To the untrained eye, there does not seem to be an idle hand (or pair of feet) on the floor.
It is expansive, with seemingly endless shelving, branded boxes as far as the eye can see, and carousels spiralling crates down from upper levels of the centre to the ground floor.
Touring the Amazon fulfilment centre
In the US, Canada and at various sites in Europe, members of the public could take tours of Amazon's fulfilment centres, giving customers a chance to see what happens after they click "Buy Now", as well as working conditions within the spaces. However, these are on pause during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prashant Saran, director of operations for Amazon Mena, does not rule this kind of transparency out for the Dubai fulfilment centres.
"Given Covid-19 right now, of course there are restrictions. We try to keep safety first, but that is definitely something we want to enable in this region," Saran told The National following our tour.
Process of an Amazon package
We were given a detailed breakdown of the journey of a package by Geoffrey Khalil, the inbound operations manager. In a nutshell, everything coming into the fulfilment centre, and the people working with that inventory, fall under his remit.
You won't find a row of pet food, followed by a row of beauty products and children's toys – the fulfilment centre is not set-up like a library or supermarket
"Everything at the fulfilment centre is enabled by the wonderful people that work for us; they are some of the most customer-obsessed people on the planet," Saran explains. "And through technology, which is the secret sauce, it enables the whole process."
From the moment items are received at the centre and added to the site's inventory physically as well as virtually, they can be bought by customers.
The items are then stowed away on shelves. Interestingly, there is no strict system that dictates exactly where a product is stored. A system of barcodes guide staff to where products are found, but you won't find a row of pet food, followed by a row of beauty products and children's toys – it is not set up like a library or supermarket.
The Amazon term for collecting items for orders is "picking", the process during which staff members walk among the shelves and select items as indicated on their scanners. They shout "corner" before turning around bends as a health and safety precaution with or without a trolley; it's a call that becomes a soundtrack to the day.
Orders, or parts of orders, are batched in yellow crates, and then separated into complete orders, a process they call "rebinning". When a staff member is picking, they are not necessarily working on one single order or even whole orders – they're broken up by an AI system that assigns orders to be collected in the most time-efficient manner.
When orders are regrouped and ready to go to the customer, they are scanned and packed, but remain unlabelled.
Then comes the "slam" process. Slam is an acronym, which stands for Scan, Label, Apply and Manifest. The technology at this station scans the box and, based on the weight, immediately knows to print the correct shipping label on the box.
From there, the item leaves the building and is shipped off to the customer.
Covid-19 and Amazon
It is no secret that Amazon as a whole has benefited from the Covid-19 pandemic. A time when people could not leave their houses made a company that would bring shopping to their doors – be it essential or luxury buys – almost indispensable. Its 2020 sales surged 38 per cent to $386.1 billion from a year earlier, according to figures released by the company in February.
Saran plays this down, saying that "the onset of the pandemic was a challenging time for all of us". However, he is clear that the company's primary focus was introducing safety measures that would allow them to continue to function.
"As we [at Amazon] started to come to terms with this new reality, we were absolutely clear that our topmost priority was safety. We had to make sure we put in place robust mechanisms, including technology innovations, process changes and training, to make sure that people are safe."
Walking around the centre there are clear processes. There is an AI camera system that sounds an alarm if people are walking within two metres of each other, tables in the lunchroom are amply spaced out and there are screens between the stationary workspaces, as well as mandatory face masks and hand sanitiser dispensers, which have been installed throughout the centre.
The company claims to have invested $11.5 billion on more than 150 processes related to Covid-19.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20Profile
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WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
