Amazon opened a standout logistics mega-warehouse this week in Onda, part of the Valencian Community. The new facility is designed to handle millions of products and operates around the clock, seven days a week, to meet steady demand from Spain and beyond. In the years ahead, the team anticipates employing about 1,000 workers, starting from a base of 350 store clerks, reflecting a larger push to grow Amazon’s footprint across Spain using a model that has powered the company’s scale in the United States. The network comprises three store types: first-mile warehouses that send goods to intermediate hubs, logistics stations positioned near major urban areas, and last-mile facilities that ship directly to customers’ homes.
Amazon’s Castellón hub: a gateway for up to 80,000 shipments daily
Onda is home to one of eight first-mile warehouses that Amazon operates in Spain, with a focus on large packages exceeding half a meter. About 90 percent of products from this site are distributed across Spain within a single day, while the remaining 10 percent extend to other European markets. This facility marks a distinctly American concept of logistics, emphasizing security and robust controls that echo airport-style procedures to ensure compliance and ethical behavior.
Recruitment began with a corridor of friends and supporters, a scene that felt reminiscent of a premiere for a premium device—an atmosphere of anticipation and pride surrounding the rollout.
The Onda site is identified as VLC1, a nod to its proximity to daily international flights at Valencia airport, and features a modern shield-inspired design tied to Jaume I. The complex is organized into three zones: product entry, storage, and exit. Miguel Gómez, Amazon’s head of shipping operations at Onda, notes that storage patterns are not fixed by rigid criteria since consumer demand can be unpredictable.
Products are labeled with barcodes as soon as they are loaded and placed on shelves up to five tiers high. When customers place orders, items become visible on Amazon’s platform and are prepared for dispatch. Products may be stored for as little as three days or as long as three weeks, depending on the item.
Unlike other Amazon mega-facilities in Spain, Onda is not fully robotized. While many European hubs use robotics to move goods, the Castellón site faces limitations due to the irregular and oversized nature of some packages, which makes full automation impractical for all workflows.
The facility focuses on larger items, ranging from beach umbrellas to fryers, rather than small electronics like CDs or mobile phones. More than 80 percent of staff are warehouse workers who navigate shelves with laser scanners and rely on human labor for product placement. The company notes a minimal, measurable loss margin per million packages. Robots do play a role in packaging and supporting the workflow where feasible.
When a customer selects a product, it exits storage, receives a new barcode to preserve recipient anonymity, and moves along a conveyor belt governed by camera-based routing to its destination. Although operations started with a lighter load, the center now has the capacity to handle up to 80,000 units daily. The workforce comprises engineers, operations managers, financial analysts, human resources professionals, and warehouse clerks who coordinate the end-to-end flow.
Strategic proximity and regional impact
Choosing Onda as a third major Amazon hub in Spain aligns with several strategic advantages, notably its closeness to Valencia port, which serves as a key entry point for a large portion of goods. The initiative also supports sales to about 1,500 Valencian small and medium-sized enterprises, illustrating a broader commitment to regional commerce.
Amazon’s expansion in the Valencian Community includes a smaller logistics station in Paterna in 2017, with subsequent facilities in Alicante and Picassen, along with a dedicated last-mile center for fresh produce in Valencia. The Wave platform’s inauguration comes as the company revises some of its Spain-wide plans, pausing several projects in Reus, Celrà, Oiartzun, and Seville to recalibrate investments and capacity. The paused sites cover tens of thousands of square meters in total, reflecting a measured approach to growth within local markets.
Industry observers note that Amazon paused around a dozen U.S. platforms during a broader e-commerce slowdown in early quarters, while remaining non-disclosive about exact investments in Onda. Data from FD I Markets shows substantial logistics investment in Spain in 2020, the year Castellón’s project began, alongside related developments in Alicante, underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to European infrastructure.
In summary, the Onda operation demonstrates how Amazon blends regional access with global logistics expertise. It highlights a model that balances large-item handling with selective automation, local employment opportunities, and a strategic footprint near a major port to streamline cross-border distribution. The project reflects a broader trend of adapting American distribution concepts to the realities of Iberian markets, while maintaining a focus on efficiency, safety, and regional economic impact.