Introducing Ocado’s AMR solutions

In the world of online grocery, Ocado Group is well known for its Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs) - warehouses where we use automation to pick, pack and deliver products to customers. It is a world-class solution that has redefined grocery retail. As supply chains become more complex, we understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to automation.

Beyond our CFCs and thousands of proprietary ASRS robots, there is a lesser-known success story quietly scaling across the globe: our fleet of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), extending the reach of our solutions into multiple other sectors across global logistics.

Today, our technology is live in 127 warehouses and more than 1,000 stores worldwide, with 70 commercial clients and partners. This includes more than 2,500 AMRs live with our clients globally.

Introducing OMRS

A key driver of this growth is the Ocado Mobile Robot System (OMRS), a system designed to support more efficient operations in traditional and existing warehouse environments. It is underpinned by our Chuck and Porter products, which work alongside people in these environments to support a range of key warehouse tasks.

Meet Chuck

Chuck is an AMR built to support order fulfilment. It is designed to work alongside people, guiding them through picking tasks and showing clear instructions on a screen, while moving through the warehouse to reduce unnecessary walking.

Team members are guided through picking and sorting tasks, showing clear instructions and moving efficiently through the warehouse via system-directed prompts. They can also be easily deployed and re-deployed across a logistics network to support different operations and demand levels.

“We can buy Chucks in peak retail season and then, as the peak ends, relocate them to other growth sites…we can move the Chucks between sites, which is a huge benefit. It takes about 15 minutes to train. The associates’ feedback has been fantastic. They feel like they’re a part of robotics and cutting-edge technology.”
GXO

Chuck can be configured with up to six shelves and adapted for different workflows.

In simple terms, Chuck helps people pick orders faster and with less effort:

• Guides staff to the right items
• Carries multiple orders at once
• Reduces the time colleagues need to spend walking around the warehouse

“Chuck [also] acts like a floor supervisor, assigning the most efficient tasks and eliminating unnecessary walking.”

Ryan Hetzler | Director, Operations | Performance Health

‍Meet Porter

While Chuck is our current generation of AMR, designed to support lighter loads and item picking, Porter is our newly developed autonomous mobile robot designed to move heavy stock around the warehouse. It works alongside staff, transporting pallets and cages between areas such as receiving, storage and shipping.

Porter can move loads of up to 1500kg (3300lb). Think of it as a self-driving pallet mover that handles the heavy lifting, so people don’t have to.

It can move safely through busy warehouse spaces and works with existing setups, without major changes. It reduces the need for forklifts and takes on the most physically demanding tasks.

In simple terms, Porter takes care of moving heavy loads so people can focus on other work:

• Moves pallets across the warehouse
• Handles heavy lifting safely
• Reduces manual transport work

Think of Chuck and Porter as counterparts. They can work alone, or complement each other as cobots, to provide automated solutions for operations of any scale. 

From 3PL to grocery: real-world applications

From logistics hubs to grocery fulfilment, Chuck and Porter can be used in a wide range of warehouses. In third-party logistics (3PL) and retail distribution with clients like GXO, Chuck is already transforming picking operations, helping operators scale during peak seasons, relocate robots between sites, and reduce dependency on hard-to-hire labour.

Porter tackles the inbound and outbound pallet flows that consume hours of manual effort every shift. The technology can also be deployed in grocery environments, including dark stores, where Chuck’s speed and accuracy suit high-velocity fulfilment, and warehouses where Porter’s ability to move heavy pallets reduces one of the biggest operational challenges.

Introducing Ocado IQ

Ocado IQ is software that coordinates Chuck and Porter across the warehouse, assigning tasks and guiding work in real time.

Ocado IQ serves as the central control centre of the warehouse, directing both robots and people so work flows smoothly from one task to the next. By minimising idle time and improving how work moves through the operation, the system ensures that heavy pallet handling and individual-item picking can happen in tandem.

Ocado IQ integrates with existing systems, giving teams visibility of what’s happening across the warehouse and helping them respond to changes in demand, while creating a more efficient working environment.

The right mix: fulfilment across the spectrum

While Chuck and Porter offer a flexible entry point into automation, they are part of a broader set of fulfilment solutions. Ocado provides different ways to automate warehouses, depending on the size and needs of the operation.

Whether deployed in logistics networks, retail distribution or grocery warehouses, Chuck and Porter, coordinated by Ocado IQ, help operations run more efficiently.

This approach allows companies to improve performance at any scale, ensuring they have the right tools to meet the demands of modern supply chains.

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