Is Ocado Intelligent Automation innovating the industry?
Did you know OCADO picks over 2 billion items yearly for clients worldwide 
We recently had the pleasure of attending Mark Richardson CEO at Ocado Intelligent Automation presentation on March 19, 2024, at the Robotics and Automation Exhibition.
I like OCADO’s Mission –
Maximise productivity. Minimise cost.
World-Proven Warehouse Automation for Future-Proof Fulfilment Operations
A brief Story of OCADO’s Fail Fast Philosophy
Listening to OCADO’s journey, dating back to 2001, 23 years ago was great to hear. OCADO’s commitment to the “fail fast” philosophy and the willingness to persevere and learn from each of the 3 attempts was great to listen to
1st Attempt: Starting
OCADO’s initial dive into automation though brave, faced challenges – from equipment malfunctions to warehouse inefficiencies. Despite obstacles, valuable lessons emerged about the importance of starting and failure is part of growth.
2nd Attempt: Navigating challenges
OCADO’s second automation attempt saw improvement but still had issues with complexities like single points of failure and diverse product types, challenging warehouse operations.
3rd Attempt: Winning through Innovation
Armed with insights and lessons from past, OCADO’s third attempt marked a turning point. Meticulous planning and innovation streamlined operations, reducing complexities and enhancing efficiency.
It was great for us Andrew Fallows Sales & Managing Director at motec and me to delve deeper into the ASRS (Automated Storage Retrieval System) or now referred to as OSRS (Ocado Storage Retrieval System) – a revolutionary storage retrieval system that is truly a game-changer in the Automation world.
It’s great how OCADO initially started in the grocery industry and have now set sights on expanding into the non-grocery sector, leveraging Ocado Intelligent Automation. Anything that fits into the steel bins can be part of the OSRS.
Additionally, observing how their Grid system operates was like a dance routine 
Some insightful questions he asked people were:
Have you considered densifying your warehouse space to save on real-estate and energy costs?
Are you planning to deploy closer to your customers for faster delivery?
How will you scale operations with innovations like Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR’s) like Ocado’s CHUCK?
How do your automated solutions address the human labour and temperature challenges?
Are you building with future needs in mind?
He was talking about how Simplification is key in managing complex facilities, and emphasized the importance of inherently simple operations and his advice was great, to build operations that are inherently simple.
Additionally, the other benefits are:
Resilience & Predictability: Utilising OSRS to prevent single points of failure and ensure replaceability.
Security: Implementing fireproof steel boxes to prevent human access to stored products.
Accuracy & Service Levels: Prioritising Accuracy and Timeliness to enhance customer satisfaction.
Lights Out Operation: OCADO emphasised the concept of a lights-out operation, leveraging fully-automated technology for production with minimal human intervention.
Automation enables continuous growth without being hindered by labor shortages, serving as a straightforward tool for scalability.
Personally I really feel that automation is the future, and especially like OCADO’s innovative approach to automating machinery and warehouses.
It’s cool to hear that OCADO is making investments of over $2B over the next 5 years and growing to have more than 2500 technologists.
So what I understood as to who OCADO is looking to serve are
If your products fit in their steel boxes, the OSRS is a good fit
Whether it’s healthcare, Consumer packaged goods (CPG), electronics, manufacturing parts, or apparel, OCADO’s ASRS could help.
For more info check out their website
Rejin and Andrew Fallows Sales & Managing Director at Motec