Ocado Group has acquired equity in Myrmex Robotics to develop systems that enhance service for customers using click-and collect purchases. According to Ioannis Kanellos, founder and lead strategist for Myrmex, “the system is based on robots shuttling among racks and containers enabling space-saving storage and efficient retrieval.” According to informed observers, orders are assembled and bagged and placed in numerically identified bins. Autonomous guided vehicle technology then retrieves bins associated with a specific order.
Ocado Group, based in the UK, provides mechanization and robotic inventory management for distribution centers. The company has equity participation by Marks & Spencer in the UK and Kroger in the U.S. Since establishing an exclusive partnership with Ocado in 2018, Kroger is in the process of erecting 20 fulfillment centers.