Extending the Robotic Area

Automated picking and handling operations often require the usage of more than one technology in the robotic area. They should be both scalable and flexible. David Priestman got an update from a key player.

“We’re experts in the hardest area, which is individual item picking,” Ocado Intelligent Automation (OIA) CEO Mark Richardson told me when we caught up with each other at LogiMAT. Having seen the hive OSRS storage and retrieval system close-up myself it is impossible not to be highly impressed by it. With OIA firmly planting its flag in the global materials handling industry, exhibiting at both LogiMAT and ProMat, having both the right mix of products combined with the best route to market is the name of the game now.

Robotic Area

As well as selling directly to non-grocery customers internationally OIA is going to leverage resellers to grow market share. The first deal announced, non-exclusively for the German-speaking market, was with Gebhardt Intralogistics Group. Gebhardt has a wide range of excellent handling and conveying systems, but not an ASRS. “We don’t have presence in Germany, so we’re looking forward to having access to a market that probably wouldn’t (readily) talk to us,” Richardson said. “It gives reassurance to customers that we have a presence. Gebhardt has a stellar reputation in the sector and across Europe, and we trust them to bring deep value and expertise to customers in the region. They have good mid-size capability.”

OIA is in discussion with a small number of other resellers internationally. “It was always our plan to use resellers,” Richardson added. “We’re picky about who.” He anticipates doing projects lead by and sold by Gebhardt (and other resellers) but also vice-versa, with OIA winning the business and taking the lead, utilising local installation, service and maintenance. Expect more announcements.

Call the Porter

The company is extending the ‘Chuck’ range of AMRs to automate further processes. ‘Porter’ is a new AMR pallet-carrier that drives pallets point-to-point, all using the Chuck tech-stack. Porter picks, moves and places pallets directly from the floor with precision, even when they are aligned back-to-back. It recognizes its surroundings to safely handle and transport heavy loads autonomously and can be configured to handle cages, increasing flexibility and expanding fulfilment capabilities.

“Customers might buy just the Porter or Porter plus Chuck,” Richardson informed me. “In existing operations it can be used as an inexpensive pallet mover, collecting open or closed pallets and it can stack pallets immediately adjacent to each other, so there are no gaps. Porter takes us into the case handling and de-palletising robotics area, extending our product range. It will be used for inbound, from the dock door to the OSRS induct stations and loading into the grid – bringing the pallet to the decanter.”

Porter’s advanced vision system enables it to navigate safely and autonomously without requiring infrastructure changes or manual intervention. Moving at speeds of up to 4.5 miles per hour, the AMR dynamically adjusts its speed when detecting people or equipment in the area, ensuring workplace safety. Porter intelligently parallel parks itself in aisles to reduce congestion, keeping operations seamless for both robots and human associates.

Finally, I asked Richardson for an update on OSRS projects being delivered. Canadian pharmaceutical distributor McKesson’s installation will be finished this summer, ready for final testing and go-live. “We have a full pipeline,” Richardson stated, “as well as bidding for many projects.” Watch this space and listen to our Logistics Business Conversations Podcast with OIA on Spotify and other platforms.

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High Throughput; Tried & Tested

 

[Podcast] Future Fulfilment: Smarter, Scalable Warehouses

In this insightful episode of our podcast, Logistics Business Conversations, host Peter Macleod is joined by Andy Ingram, Vice President of Advanced Technology at Ocado Intelligent Automation. Together, they explore the evolution of Ocado from an online grocery retailer to a global pioneer in warehouse automation and the future of fulfilment automation.

Andy shares the remarkable story of how Ocado’s early warehouse systems—like their monorail pick-and-pack setup—were replaced through bold decisions and fast learning. From conveyor-based systems with major points of failure to today’s fully fault-tolerant, modular storage and retrieval grid powered by “naked bots,” the conversation dives deep into the transformative power of technology, simulation, and in-house innovation.

Peter Macleod and Andy Ingram, Ocado, Podcast

Key highlights include

The journey from Ocado’s early automation failures to cutting-edge proprietary tech

The development of the Ocado Storage and Retrieval System and its global rollout

Why Ocado runs its own tech and how this operational insight fuels innovation

The shift toward “lights-out” warehouses and additive manufacturing (3D printing) to create lighter, faster, more efficient robots

Insights on flexibility, scalability, and KPIs businesses should measure when adopting automation

The importance of simulation and data modeling to design high-throughput, fault-tolerant systems

How Ocado is addressing labor challenges by upskilling workers and simplifying robotic systems

A look ahead at the future of logistics automation—including exciting technologies like subassembly 3D printing

Whether you’re a logistics professional, automation enthusiast, or just curious about the future of fulfilment, this episode delivers a fascinating glimpse into what’s next for warehouse operations around the world.

Click here to listen to this episode and more

Autonomous Pallet-Moving Robot Debuts

Ocado Intelligent Automation (OIA), part of Ocado Group, has introduced Porter AMR, a pallet-moving autonomous mobile robot (AMR) that navigates warehouses to automate several warehouse workflows such as cross-docking, bulk-item picking, putaway, and pallet movement.

OIA’s patented system-directed software intelligently orchestrates each Porter autonomous pallet-moving robot – or a whole fleet of them – to reduce travel times and avoid warehouse congestion. Ocado’s Fulfillment Execution System (FES) groups orders to maximize case picking, optimize route plans and reduce steps between picks. Meanwhile, machine learning prioritizes and plans pallet stacking intelligently to avoid product damage.

“Porter from OIA automates low-value, manual tasks and fosters a more productive workplace by supporting associates, increasing case picking rates, and automating the movement of high volumes of inventory,” said Jeff Larson, Director of Solutions Design for Ocado Mobile Robot System at OIA. “Companies in third-party logistics, retail, e-commerce, distribution, and healthcare can maximize warehouse productivity and scale operations up or down easily without depending on manual forklifts and expensive certified forklift drivers.”

Automates Point-to-Point Movement of Pallets and Cages

Porter picks, moves and places pallets directly from the floor with precision, even when they are aligned back-to-back. It recognizes its surroundings to safely handle and transport heavy loads autonomously and can be configured to handle cages, increasing flexibility and expanding fulfillment capabilities.

Porter AMR features:

• An onboard touchscreen with live front-camera view, enabling associates to safely maneuver Porter in manual mode.
• A 3,300-pound (1,500 kilograms) payload capacity to transport densely packed pallets.
• The ability to transport one pallet or two roll cages on a single trip.
• Dynamic task-switching software that seamlessly transitions Porter between inventory movement and case-picking tasks as operational needs evolve.
• Advanced built-in sensors to detect, recognize and handle any open or closed standard pallet types, including Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool (CHEP), Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and European Pallet Association e.V.(EPAL) pallets.
• A slim, counterbalance-free design with a tight turning radius to operate in pallet lanes as narrow as 51 inches (1.3 meters) wide.

Streamline Warehouse Operations with Robust Integrations

Porter integrates with existing wall-to-wall fulfillment platforms, Warehouse Execution Systems (WES), Warehouse Control Systems (WCS) and Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), to seamlessly prioritize tasks with minimal disruption and increase warehouse productivity. These systems can collaborate to:
• Pick and pass complex orders across multiple robots.
• Automate inbound and outbound pallet movement from Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) from OIA or other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
• Connect to robotic arms to deliver or pick pallets from palletizing and depalletizing areas.

Intelligent Navigation Supports Warehouse Safety

Porter’s advanced vision system enables it to navigate safely and autonomously without requiring infrastructure changes or manual intervention. Moving at speeds of up to 4.5 miles per hour, the AMR dynamically adjusts its speed when detecting people or equipment in the area, ensuring workplace safety. Porter intelligently parallel parks itself in aisles to reduce congestion, keeping operations seamless for both robots and human associates.

Porter AMR is a component of the Ocado Mobile Robot System (OMRS), an advanced fulfillment system for intelligent workflow orchestration.

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Gebhardt to Provide Ocado Storage and Retrieval System in DACH

 

Gebhardt to Provide Ocado Storage and Retrieval System in DACH

Gebhardt Intralogistics Group and Ocado Intelligent Automation (OIA) are entering into a relationship wherein Gebhardt will provide the Ocado Storage and Retrieval System (OSRS) to customers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other territory where it operates. The non-exclusive collaboration also positions Gebhardt to provide installation and maintenance support services for the OSRS.

“To continue our growth in the global logistics and supply chain market, we welcome Gebhardt into the Ocado Intelligent Automation ecosystem as a solutions provider,” said Mark Richardson, CEO of Ocado Intelligent Automation, part of Ocado Group. “Gebhardt has a stellar reputation in the sector and across Europe, and we trust them to bring deep value and expertise to customers in the region.”

The OSRS is an ultra-high-density cubic storage and retrieval system that combines world-proven automation with advanced warehouse execution software. It seamlessly integrates Ocado’s unique Robotic Pick technology, which is already deployed at scale and has performed billions of real-world picks.

The system’s ability to manage and scale high throughput operations makes it an excellent solution for a wide variety of industries, especially fashion and apparel, e-commerce, distribution, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare organizations, which need to efficiently process and pick a large volume across a wide product range.

The OSRS claims market-leading storage density, and its lightweight grid structure supports a bin capacity of up to 21 bins high. Because it’s modular, systems providers and logistics teams can deploy it at any scale, safe in the knowledge that the OSRS can expand as their operations evolve.

“Gebhardt has been seeking a high-throughput cubic ASRS to add to our portfolio. The Ocado Storage and Retrieval System fills that unique need, empowering large-scale fulfillment operators to compete at the next level,” says Marco Gebhardt, CEO of Gebhardt Intralogistics Group. “This is what the 70-year Gebhardt reputation is built on, providing a wide variety of flexible, modular solutions to support customers as they grow.”

“Integrators can play an essential role in the adoption and successful execution of advanced robotics and automation,” added Monique Apter, Chief Revenue Officer, OIA. “Gebhardt and OIA share the same outlook on customer relationships. Their highly trained experts will be on the ground, engaging with customers, providing service, and training associates in a meaningful way that’s rooted in the knowledge of how those customers like to work.”

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High Throughput; Tried & Tested

 

Autonomous Pallet-Moving Robot Introduced at Shows

Ocado Intelligent Automation (OIA), part of Ocado Group, will introduce a pallet-moving autonomous mobile robot (AMR) at ProMat 2025 to automate inventory movement and increase the efficiency of several warehouse workflows.

The new OIA pallet-moving AMR navigates the warehouse without any infrastructure changes or heavy manual labour required. Upscaling nearly a decade of automation experience from the company’s Chuck AMR offering, OIA’s patented system-directed software intelligently orchestrates each autonomous pallet-moving robot, or a whole fleet of them, and identifies the optimal route for it to take while preventing bottlenecks.

Autonomous Pallet-Moving Robot

With a payload capacity of 3,300 pounds and built-in sensor systems to recognize pallets, the pallet-moving AMR can pick and place open or closed pallets directly from the floor, enabling warehouses and distribution centers to fully automate tasks such as cross-dock, putaway and inventory moves as well as collaborative tasks including each and case picking, replenishment and returns putaway.

ProMat Booth number: S2712
LogiMAT Booth number: Hall 8 booth #8C77

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Industry View: Battery Needs for NextGen Mobile Robots

 

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