A lot has changed in the last 20 years, but for an employee working at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Tilbury, something that hasn’t changed is his commitment to his employer.
A dedicated team member based at the fulfilment centre in Tilbury recently celebrated a milestone length of service at the company. Daniel Hamilton (43), from Southend-on-Sea, is pleased to have called the Tilbury site his place of work for the last 20 years.
Daniel, who has worked at Amazon since 2003, began his Amazon career in the outbound packing department and progressed through the ranks to his current role as an ICQA (Inventory Control/Quality Assurance) escalation specialist.
During his 20 years at Amazon, Daniel has spent time at three of the company’s fulfilment centres, starting in Milton Keynes, then transferring to Peterborough, and finally to Tilbury where he is still based today.
Before joining Amazon, Daniel worked as a night porter in a hotel near his home. He heard about an opportunity available at Amazon and decided he would like to explore a new challenge. 20 years later, he hasn’t looked back.
Speaking on how things have changed at Amazon during his career, Daniel said: “When I started at Amazon, I had to walk to a different location to pick up products – nowadays there are automated warehouses where a robot drone brings the products to you. It’s amazing to see just how much technology has progressed over the years and how it is helping us execute tasks in a much more efficient way. It’s been a brilliant help.”
Speaking of his favourite memory at Amazon, Daniel said: “There are quite a few, but one of my most memorable Amazon experiences is the move from the Peterborough site to Tilbury, as it’s one of the newer and largest fulfilment centres in the UK. Tilbury was a new area and new town for Amazon when I transferred there in 2017 and to be involved in the launch was an experience I can’t describe.”
For Daniel, the best thing about working at Amazon is the people. He loves meeting new colleagues and building friendships inside and outside of work.
In addition to the social side of his role, Daniel is a big fan of the innovative side of Amazon, and the excitement that comes along with the constant advances in technology. He said: “Seeing the progress in technology over the years has been incredible to witness. I would say that watching the growth of Amazon is the best thing about my role – technology has made our jobs easier, safer and more efficient.”
In terms of next steps, Daniel has found his calling in his current position. He enjoys the hands-on experience of the role and plans to continue giving his best effort, adding: “I’m a man who loves to get his hands dirty. I’ve never been a management person – I’m more of an engineer than a manager.”
When asked what has made him stick around for 20 years, Daniel said: “Working for Amazon is an opportunity to progress through life. Many of the colleagues I started my Amazon journey with are now operations managers or directors. There are opportunities everywhere. You can make so many friends, too – the support and atmosphere on site is great. If the team isn’t smiling, we’re doing something wrong!”
Daniel recently celebrated with his colleagues at the fulfilment centre in Tilbury to mark his exciting career milestone, and looks forward to many more great years with the company.
Speaking on Daniel’s milestone career moment, Amazon Tilbury General Manager, Ruzanna Sargsyan, said: “Daniel has dedicated so many years to Amazon and is a much-loved member of our team here in Tilbury. I, and the rest of his colleagues, are so pleased to celebrate his achievements. Congratulations, Daniel!”
Daniel is among Amazon’s 75,000 employees in the UK. Amazon provides competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees, with roles paying a minimum of £11.45 per hour. Amazon employees can also take advantage of Amazon’s pioneering Career Choice programme, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to £8,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.
Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.
Anyone can find out more about what it’s like to work at an Amazon fulfilment centre by signing up for a virtual tour at uk.amazonfctours.com
