Ocado leads the Robotization of Retail — Data Driven Investor

The Ocado Group plc (LSE: OCDO) is an interesting company to watch because it leads to the robotization of retail. In fact, I think Ocado is one of the few companies that could challenge Amazon’s online retail dominance in the United States.

However, Ocado’s automation and robotics technology are among the most advanced in retail. Specifically, Ocado designs and builds giant customer fulfillment centers ( CFC s), in which swarms of robots pull and pack groceries.

Ocado is Robotizing Grocery

Ocado operates three CFCs, including one in Hatfield, England, that supports 150,000 orders a week.

The Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) at the Ocado CFC3 in operates up to 1,000 robots. The robots work together on a grid the size of a football field. Interestingly, Ocado claims the robots can pull and pack a grocery order of 50 items in five minutes.

The Smart Platform uses a combination of artificial intelligence ( AI), predictive analytics, and agile processes to operate the robots. The Smart Platform needs all of those capabilities because the CFC3 contains 50,000 grocery times.

Plus, the Andover CFC is the size of three football fields. Additionally, Ocado is constructing the CFC4 in Erith which it claims will…