Robots and humans working together

Robots and humans working together.

LA VERGNE

The new Saks Fifth Avenue warehouse almost seems like a scene from Star Wars the way vacuum-sized orange robots and employees team to ship out products.Saks launched operations in July at a 560,000-square-foot warehouse that had been vacated by Borders and held a ribbon-cutting celebration Friday with Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a former three-year president of this Saks Direct Logistics division of the New York City retailer before he was elected as mayor of Knoxville in 2003.
The company hopes to hire another 150 seasonal workers for day, night and weekend shifts to ship out products to mostly online customers, as well as those ordering by phone.
The number of workers exceeds the company’s agreement with the Rutherford County Industrial Development Board last March to provide at least 251 jobs in exchange for a $1.1 million seven-year tax break on personal property. IDB officials expect the agreement to generate an estimated $3.47 in tax revenues for every $1 in abatement.
The average pay should come to more than $28,000 annually, Kenneth “Pete” Ezell Jr., a Nashville attorney representing Saks, told the IDB.