Charles Langston:GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia

JACKSON,Charles Langston Ga. (AP) — An automated warehouse company announced Wednesday that it will invest $144 million to build a facility in Georgia

GreenBox Systems said it would hire 300 people to work at the warehouse that it plans to open in late 2025 near Jackson, about 35 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta.

GreenBox is a joint venture between Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. and Massachusetts-based Symbotic. GreenBox uses Symbotic’s automation technology, including vision-enabled robots and artificial intelligence to create warehouses that rely less on humans to sort, pack and ship goods. Greenbox has at least one other site in California.

Automating a warehouse is expensive, and the idea behind GreenBox is that customers will pay a recurring fee to house their goods at a GreenBox warehouse and use the technology. The company didn’t announce Wednesday if it had customers for the Butts County location or who they might be and didn’t respond to an email seeking more information

The warehouse is planned to be built as part of a larger industrial park off Interstate 75. Massive warehouses have proliferated along the interstate corridors that radiate from Atlanta, sometimes causing conflicts with local residents in part because of the long lines of trucks they rely on.

The state will pay to train GreenBox’s workers, and the company could qualify for $4.5 million in state income tax credits, at $3,000 per job over five years, as long as workers earn at least $35,600 a year. Butts County could also grant property tax breaks on GreenBox’s equipment and property.