Ocado Group has bolstered its partnership with Kroger with a new range of automated technologies set to roll out across the US retailer’s customer fulfilment centres (CFCs).
Kroger has placed an order for Ocado’s new ‘Re:imagined’ technologies to be implemented across multiple of its existing and future warehouses.
The latest technologies include Ocado’s on-grid robotic pick service, a robotic arm used to pack shoppers’ bags, and automated frameload, which loads prepared shopper orders to delivery frames ready for dispatch.
The move comes after the UK business recently unveiled its third customer fulfilment centre with Japanese retailer Aeon, with its live operations upgraded with new Ocado technologies including its on-grid robotic pick service.
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Ocado Group CEO Tim Steiner said: “We are delivering a step-change in warehouse automation and new levels of efficiency to our partners as global supply chains are under significant pressure to manage higher volumes and greater complexity, as well as challenges in labour cost and availability.”
“Today marks another exciting milestone in our partnership with Kroger. Our current CFCs are already helping to deliver a game-changing quality of service to their customers across the USA.”
He added: “We are excited for these latest technologies to further enhance that proposition, as well as the efficiency of Kroger’s operations in live and future CFCs.”
The investment will come as welcome news to Ocado after its share price plummeted in the aftermath of Canadian supermarket Sobeys revealing it had halted the launch of its new warehouse in Vancouver as the pair agree to “end terms related to their mutual exclusivity”.
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