Hinter den Kulissen von Amazon: Wie ist die Arbeit im Logistikzentrum?

Amazon in Pforzheim, 15 football fields. 1,300 employees, the largest, best-known and most controversial online shipping giant in the world. It's quarterback, his job title in English. Amazon has its own language. Fala Hassan is the man at the loading dock where the trucks dock. He then took a photo to make sure everything is okay. The products he receives in Pforzheim are medium-sized, that is, larger than a shoe box and smaller than a washing machine. This device controls your work steps using a checklist. I have to protect myself. Thomas, gate 23 is safe. Do you like technology? Yes of course. I think everyone likes technology.

Not only me. Nothing works here without technology. As soon as it's time to unload, the next area and a forklift companion take over. Fala drives 20 trucks per shift. In peak times, almost double. In fact, he wanted to study psychology. I completed my high school diploma in Iraq. I wanted to continue studying there. But because of the problems in Iraq at the time, I couldn't. And that's where I come from. The Yazidis fled the Kurdish part of Iraq in 2010 due to the political situation. He misses home every day. In 2012, when Amazon arrived in Pforzheim, he not only found a job here, but also a contact.

For me we are all more equal. All are equal. I love everyone. And each colleague has become a brother to me. And Tomás is one of them. I hope so. Colleagues have become family and family members have become colleagues. Like his sister Samian. It's great to be with my brother... And I have a sister here too. We're together, that's really cool. Of course, if you need my help, of course, I will be happy to help you. E.g. If we need a vacation, I will go to him right away. Brother, I need a vacation, can you talk to the manager?

The older brother has to intervene when there are unpleasant conversations with the boss. The only thing the sisters can't do is during lunch break, since he has a fixed appointment. Hi guys. Hello morning. At the table of the Kurdish men's regulars. From here he becomes German-Kurdish, from here German. Fala does not want to reveal what he and his friends earn. He is satisfied. Apparently he's a frugal guy. If you work one more hour, you get one piece. If you work 5 more hours, you will get 5 pieces. Then you can get something from here on Amazon. E.g. a t-shirt or a mug or something like that, there are things.

To the truck yard. Fala should show Fatma from the training team the processes here. Getting everything ready for the next truck? Of course, not without the beloved technology. Key key. Thank you. But there is a problem here. We check the cable because something is wrong with the cable. If something is wrong, we won't be able to load. The customs cordon is broken. A security flaw that Fala cannot let go. Okay, so we have to swap them, okay? He doesn't like such a delay at all. At least the driver still has a spare cable. The truck will only be able to dock when it is there.

With safety and the right equipment, Fala takes it very seriously. And he closes your west, please. closed vest. closed vest? Yes please. The yellow vest. Yellow, exactly. Pick up the driving bowl, we've collected them all. In the end everything works, the process is also completed on the device. And Fala can take care of the next truck in his area. Fatma Demirbilek is back, fresh from her parental leave. In the high-bay warehouse in Pforzheim, the shelves are still in the same place. Not much has changed. They are known here. Hello. Long distances also persist. I wanted to take my fitness tracker with me, but I always forget.

But it's a lot, I think definitely more than 6 km more. As training manager, she oversees all company processes. From the loading ramp to the packing station. She started small and worked her way up from shipping clerk. After graduating and completing her studies, she actually had other plans. I received rejections from many companies where I applied. And of course my handkerchief also has a special role. Not everyone accepted that. Hello Marianne. Today we will do the 90 day review. Come to me for a moment. You can drive all vehicles, as far as I can see. Today Fatma gives a refresher course at the driving school.

Even experienced forklift driver Marianna Babic-Mietsch has to renew her permit periodically. Then you can start. Exactly, always fasten your seat belt. Nothing escapes Fatma's trained eyes. Wait a minute. Look, you don't have the brakes. I once had some employees here at the driving school she had trained. Then they reached the shelves with the forklift. Even though I explained it to them, even explained it 10 times, they didn't understand it. I then had to send these employees back to the department and therefore stopped the training. 1st test, slalom driving. Always look back. Look back, exactly. Whenever you pass in front of the pylon, always look behind you.

It was too narrow here. If you turn, you can hit back there. That's why you better come to the site. Second test, Marianna should go to the high shelf. The driving school has its own area with mannequins. Here it also rises 8 m. Now you can go back down. It does not work. It does not work? Try again. Reboot, it works. I like the adrenaline. Yes. How much adrenaline does work give you? So you're already on top when you are. Well, not everyone can do that. Can you sit here then? The balancing act between work and family remains unusual for Fatma.

This is my little one. And this is my husband. I also take turns picking up the little one with my husband. Or he takes her to daycare. We always exchange ideas. I don't think about her when I'm at work. I can disconnect. When I get home, I also disconnect from work. I don't think much about what I did at work. Because as soon as I see my daughter and she smiles at me, she's done for me. Organize training in the office. Almost done. I'm still sending the emails. Whenever you want, we just have to plan. Arrangements with colleagues.

She now sees daily work as time for herself. Or you can call me and come to your house quickly. It is truly a vacation. I can disconnect. I don't have anything on me where... I have freedom, so to speak. She also has big dreams. She thinks big. I talked to my husband about it soon. I would like to fly to space one day. Like your boss. With a rocket to space as a weightless tourist. So far, only billionaires like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have been able to make Fatma's dream come true. Tomorrow, 8 hours in the commercial area.

The morning shift started a long time ago. 1. Printing. Peace, silence. No problem. But this is where the music plays, this is where the magic happens. Employees swarm around the high shelves like busy bees. One of them is Mariana Babic-Mitsch. Forklift driver in the picking area for 8 years. Your equipment, seat belt and, in case something falls off the shelf, a helmet. Plus... I get all the information on the scanner. Which room do I have to go to, which row, which topic number, which articles. This is her favorite forklift to work with, the VNA. Again, English means very narrow hallway.

Especially for very narrow hallways. Fasten your seatbelts, it will be adventurous and crazy. The forklift automatically selects a lane to travel very precisely through narrow aisles. The camera crew must maintain a safe distance as Mariana rises. I'm more of an adrenaline junkie. Not too much adrenaline. Because e.g. I wouldn't jump off the plane. But yeah, I like that. But with Stapler you don't have the feeling that you are at the height or because you are working. You don't look down. Up to 10 m high and full of products. There is chaos here and it is intentional.

The laundry basket is next to the coffee maker. Similar items are deliberately not placed next to each other to avoid confusion. Topper or stroller. Have you ever wondered who the people are who order this? Yes, all of us. Me too. There are some elements where you say, oh God, who ordered that? What type of items are these? This is not for the camera. Slippery orders, chaotic storage. But there is discipline and order in forklift traffic. Markus Wild takes care of that. They are too close together for my taste. He is the coordinator of FFZ and in charge of abbreviations.

FFZ means industrial trucks. And what does PIT mean? Motorized industrial trucks, that's the English version. Do other 3 letters also represent? The VFB. VfB Stuttgart is my favorite football club. Do you see any parallels between your work and VfB? Both are going very well at the moment. He doesn't even have a driver's license outside. Traffic rules are taken very seriously here. Hello colleague. Please turn on your light. I'm more of a hot dog. So that total chaos does not break out here at some point with all the drivers. In the warehouse with tall, narrow naves, Mariana performs the same steps 8 hours a day: from the shelf to the choir.

In Croatia she carried out projects in an architecture studio. To what extent do you sometimes lack creativity in this job? Sometimes she chooses something or collects random items. And then I come up with ideas. For recipes or decoration. A creative mind like Mariana finds inspiration even in consumerist madness. And what is Marco's motivation? That makes me proud. Background work must also be done. And everything together is like a gear that moves together. It's still very fun. Even if you're just a small cog? Even if I'm just a small cog. Amazon still needs every team and every employee so that the giant team does not stop. 5 am.

Rashid Labiat always starts with a coffee. Of course, with the boss's cup. For him, the morning shift begins at home. Every day with the same ritual. So this is where my task begins. As soon as I put on my vest or jacket, I'm automatically in work mode. 5 minutes before time gives the soldiers the opportunity. I've been on Amazon for 11 years. I have never been a minute late. Buy an expensive car to drive to the fulfillment center. Whether you pay 300 euros for a Toyota or 400 euros for a Mercedes, you can save the 100 euros... ...by buying fewer socks each month.

Then you have the 100 euros for the Mercedes. Rashid has been at Amazon for over 10 years. He moved here from Morocco for love. He has been rising, far behind him. From level 1 as a packer to level 3 as a team leader. He remained loyal to the packing team. Manager support. We are very close to the employees, we are in the lines. We are the eyes of the manager, eyes and watches of the manager. This is what we do to ensure everything runs smoothly. Tomorrow, everything okay? Have everything? Very good. Have everything? Mohammed, can you close the closet please?

Tomorrow. 6 am. start of turn. The tasks are clearly defined. Pickers take products from the warehouse to the packers. This is where the collected items go into the packages. Rashid's first problem: a paralyzed assembly line. I'll get the technology. After 2 minutes we have to react drastically. The tape has to run. Line 6 does not circulate. Line 6. Slam 6 is not working. Run. What it was? OK thanks. My colleague makes the ticket. Rashid started at the packing station in 2013. High-tech is the name of the game here. The product scanner is built into the glove. Just don't waste your time. So that everything works as efficiently as possible.

Despite the piecework, things were always human, Rashid remembers. I saw that there were different countries. Different races, different cultures. So I said, I'm not the only one. That was the craziest thing. Even in our religion we practice Ramadan. That a German company receives us. Welcome. He taught himself German. Like sign language. Six employees on his team are deaf. That is german. This is Turkish. This is Tuesday. Wednesday. Rashid is in demand again. The employee noticed something. The computer suggests a cardboard box that is too small for this plush pillow. Rashid wants to take care of the monkey.

Short official route, not really. The item needs to be remeasured. The dimensions in the system were adjusted. Another department does that. When you have a problem and you try to solve it and you succeed, that's the kick. Every day is exciting for Rashid. Solving problems without stopping. He demonstrates it correctly, always at hand. Climbing stairs is an important issue. Main rule number 1 is to use the railing. When running up the stairs you should not look at your cell phone, but rather straight ahead. The camp has its own traffic rules. Denise Kjondke is basically the law enforcement officer.

We have a clear separation between pedestrians and drivers. This means that there is only forklift traffic on the orange lanes. And on the blue roads the paths are exclusively for pedestrians. Safety and health at work are its themes. Its ultimate goal is to avoid industrial accidents. Basically, when I walk through the halls, my eyes are always everywhere. I always try to make sure everything is in order. And she is fast. Zack. As you pass by, you notice a box that has no place here. Hello. Today in your security audit program at Shipp-Doc. That isAmazon language and it means safety inspection at the loading dock.

I walk around the area with André and see if I notice any points that raise doubts in my mind. I saw a jacket back here that I don't think is there. It belongs. Zack. Please clean once. This says that the extinguisher is completely blocked. If a fire breaks out, it must be accessible at all times. I'm a bad boy. I wouldn't say I'm the bad guy. I do job security. Safety is a good thing. Nobody wants to suffer an accident at work. Nobody wants to get hurt. Time pressure is greatest here at Shipp-Doc, where packages are placed on trucks.

The rush hour is 2:00 p.m. and the trucks must leave on time. So that customers receive their packages on time. Delivery promise is Amazon's top priority. But safety comes first, in the form of Denise. There should be time for her quiz and a safety test in between. Can you tell me 3 rules that are very important to you here for safety reasons? For security? Exactly. Rights, safety footwear. Well great. And gloves. And the life jacket. Alright, these are the most important rules for you. Perfect great. These packages do not go directly to customers from here. They first arrive at one of the 10 distribution centers in Baden-Württemberg and from there throughout Europe.

Amazon hands over most of its transportation to subcontractors and therefore also takes responsibility for poor working conditions, according to critics of the company. At least when it comes to the working conditions of his people at Amazon Pforzheim, site manager Christian Breiner is open. Exactly, let's put that aside again. I'm just taking a photo. That would be great. Amazon hasn't always been so open to visitors entering its hallowed halls. I know we're in the process of being very transparent about things now. I have no idea what happened in the past. The important thing is that we show that we have nothing to hide.

To pack even more. For the trained sports psychologist it is important that everyone exercises in a healthy way. The vacuum lifter can help with heavy packages over 15kg. Therefore, the employee needs enough space to move freely. That he does not simply move from here to there, but that he can take a big step, take the package with him and thus everything is ergonomic. Before coming to Amazon, I expected there would be a lot going on here. I press the button today, my order arrives tomorrow. So I was pleasantly surprised. It's very quiet here. That's the good thing: they don't get in each other's way, they help each other.

Information for one week. A behind-the-scenes look at global shipping. Behind which there are many little stories and people who make everything move forward.