Ocado, the world’s largest dedicated online grocery retailer, partnered with CoreRFID to automate van check-in and check-out at its distribution centre.
Drivers waited too long to check in, and queues built up at the gate. CoreRFID fitted Ocado’s vans with RFID labels. UHF fixed readers at the site entrance pick them up automatically.
How automated van check-in works
UHF RFID gives a longer read range than other identification methods, which matters here: a van can be identified while it’s still approaching, without slowing down or stopping at a barrier. As each vehicle nears the entrance, the readers pick it up automatically. Drivers no longer need to stop, and staff no longer need to be stationed on the gate to check vehicles in manually.
That’s delivered a range of benefits for Ocado:
- Staff redeployed elsewhere in the business, cutting costs
- No delays for drivers entering the site
- Straightforward integration into Ocado’s existing back-end IT systems
- A scalable system that extends easily to new facilities, simply by adding readers
“The system’s been running reliably for years now with limited maintenance, which says a lot about how solid the setup is. We’re still finding new ways to apply the same thinking across other parts of their operation.”
– Richard Harrison, Technical Director, CoreRFID
The system has been in continuous use since it went live, and automated van check-in has held up without needing any intervention. CoreRFID continues to work with Ocado on new RFID applications across the business, including the warehouse robot tagging covered in our other Ocado case study.