Ocado, an Online Supermarket Operated by Advanced Robots (Better than the Amazon)

The British e-commerce retailer has superior automation technology up to three times faster and more efficient than that of the American giant, according to experts.

Ocado & it’s Advanced Robot

The advance of robotization in food retail brings Ocado back to the present day. We refer to the large British e-commerce retailer, with which the Spanish chain Bon Preu closed an agreement in 2018, and which is ahead of the giant Amazon.

After 20 years of experience, experts in the field indicate that, currently, Ocado Group has superior automation technology and up to three times faster and more efficient than that of the American giant, reports the Xataca portal.

Amazon vs Ocado Retail Supermarket

In fact, as they need, while Amazon only uses 50%  of the warehouse surface during most of the year and 90% between October and January, Ocado uses almost 95% of the surface at various levels to install its grill of rails, in addition to that its robots move up to three times faster than those of Amazon.

Of course, the British retailer's infrastructure says it all: more than 1,100 autonomous robots work in its warehouse connected via 4G and move at four meters per second to prepare user orders. 

They can pick up up to 50 products in less than five minutes, allowing deliveries to be completed in less than an hour. Employees had to use the separate portal at Miocado to manage their works online.

In addition, the robots move around a large grid where they pass only five millimeters from each other. This grid is divided into sectors and levels, so the system is in charge of calculating more than three million routes per second, the company explains.

Ocado also developed robotic arms that are used to manipulate fruits and vegetables without crushing them, as well as a robot that is responsible for “sniffing” food to see if it is fresh and classify it according to its maturity.

Collaborative Robot

Likewise, this firm plans to implement a new type of collaborative robot whose mission will be to assist maintenance technicians who work in automated warehouses, specifically 200 technicians who are in charge of monitoring the operation.

The robot is called ‘SecondHands’ and it would perform tasks that require a higher level of precision or physical strength, something that humans cannot offer. In addition, they develop the software and robotic technology themselves, which they later sell to other companies to operate their warehouses.

As we mentioned a few months ago, Ocado reaches sales of euros per year. With its online sales model, this firm is able to offer 70,000 references (more than 2,000 million compared to 25,000 for a standard supermarket in the United Kingdom), which implies the ability to offer differentiating niche products, increasing the size of orders and customer satisfaction, with a service level of 100%. 

Something that Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions, considers impossible if the order is prepared in-store. In short, cost reduction and service excellence are the keys to success in digital commerce.

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