Ocado Group has just unveiled the next leap of game-changing technology and innovation that will power the Ocado Smart Platform during their special virtual product launch event which was held today (26.01.2022) at 2pm GMT.

During the event, Ocado Group underpinned the latest Ocado Smart Platform (“OSP”). In fact, the evolution of this platform is one of the most significant steps forward in technology in Ocado’s history and re-affirms OSP as the fastest, most flexible, most sustainable and most cost effective suite of solutions for operating online grocery businesses.

The latest innovations that Ocado Group unveiled at the “Ocado Re:Imagined” event include:

• A grocery fulfilment bot

The bot is 80% lighter than its predecessor. It has been described by the company as “the world’s lightest and most efficient grocery fulfilment bot”, including lighter warehouse grids for the bots to run on.

• On-grid Robotic Pick

A new technology that allows robotic arms to pick groceries directly from the grids has also been developed, automating the most labour intensive jobs in a Customer Fulfilment Centre. The firm expects the robotic arms to be capable of picking close to 50% of its product range by the end of next year and 80% in the long run.

• Ocado Orbit: the world’s first Virtual Distribution Centre

Ocado Orbit now creates a system where multiple smaller footprint warehouses share a “virtual distribution centre”, which will use the latest software in AI and Machine Learning, in a seamless supply ecosystem. In this centre, each warehouse acts as a primary supply hub for a fraction of the stock but all have access to the combined range, offering their customers the choice of a large range. Ocado Orbit enables smaller fulfilment centres, closer to the customer, to be able to offer a large range, short lead times, and value simultaneously.

• Ocado Swift Router

An innovation that enables delivery of last minute, short lead time orders as well as larger, longer lead-time orders, all from the same van. This means that partners need no longer to make a trade-off between the benefits of short lead time orders and a today-for-tomorrow service.

• Ocado Flex

With the help of this feature partners can use their own webshop and app solutions while taking advantage of the intelligence of OSP. As a result, they no longer need to write-off historic investment in their webshop to be able to benefit from OSP’s market-leading customer proposition.

• Automated Frameload.

This process automates the loading of totes with ready-for-delivery customer orders onto delivery frames ready for dispatch, replacing the manual process currently in place. The automation of this process leads to lower labour costs and higher productivity per employee.

The CEO Tim Steiner, who co-founded Ocado two decades ago, announced that the new capabilities would allow the group and its partners to install platforms in much faster and simpler, highly optimised buildings, that require lower costs.

A replay of the Ocado Re:Imagined event will be available on the Ocado Group website.