When we think of great accomplishments in engineering, we frequently talk about bridges, trains, or cars. But warehouses often go overlooked in this conversation. Warehouses are complex, massive, intricate machines of their own, made up of inventories, machines, and even people. A look into the largest warehouses in the world will reveal some draw-dropping numbers and facts.
Michelin Woodruff U70 – South Carolina, USA
In 2019, Michelin, the French tire brand, opened the doors to its mammoth three-million-square-foot distribution center right by Greenville, South Carolina. The warehouse lot is comprised of five connected segments. An automated system manufactures and distributes over 2,000 tires every day in this facility.
Volkswagen Wolfsburg – Wolfsburg, Germany
Volkswagen’s headquarters is the biggest car factory on the planet. It has a total area of 70 million square feet, including the gigantic 3.2-million-square-foot warehouse Hall 1B. This is the largest warehouse on the site, and it can produce over 800,000 cars a year. A museum and a VW theme park are also on site.
Amazon MQY1 Fulfillment Center – Tennessee, USA
The largest retailer on the planet, Amazon Fulfillment Centers can be found all around the world. Most of their centers exceed one million square feet, but their largest is truly exceptional. The new facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, comprises 3.6 million square feet and contains 5 stories of automated space. In addition, the facility has 80,000 square feet dedicated to office space. Just imagine that much room with that much inventory: it just goes to show why more and more factory floor employees need barcode scanning technology to keep everything in order.
Tesla Gigafactory 1 – Nevada, USA
A company that has seen immense growth in just the past few years, Tesla showed signs of its potential in 2014, when it started to build the Gigafactory plant. This Nevada facility manages the motor and battery production for the company’s cars along with other energy storage objectives. It’s about 5.3 million square feet, though Tesla plans to expand. If the company succeeds in its goals, it should add on an additional 10 million square feet to make the Gigafactory the largest building in the world.
Boeing Everett Factory – Washington, USA
Though Elon Musk has his eye on the prize, the Boeing Everett Factory is currently the record-holder among the largest warehouses in the world. At 472 million cubic feet of internal space, the Boeing Everett Factory can hold up to 75 football fields. Construction on the factory began in 1967. It’s used to manufacture some of Boeing’s largest aircrafts. Another massive building next door, called the Composite Wing Center, stands at 1.2 million square feet; it’s where Boeing produces airplane wings.
