Ocado is the world’s largest online-only grocery retailer, and its Ocado Smart Platform is the most advanced system of its kind. Ocado approached CoreRFID to develop custom RFID tags for automated warehouses, having found that off-the-shelf technology couldn’t maximise the reliability of the platform.
CoreRFID, in partnership with RFID tag vendor Omni-ID, identified a solution and worked with Ocado to create a custom-built tag designed specifically for reliability, cost and ease of deployment.
“CoreRFID made this project very easy to work on, by creating an open and honest three-way relationship between Ocado, CoreRFID and Omni. This has enabled us to exceed both cost and delivery targets, it was an enjoyable and successful project.”
– Ian Parks, Engineering Project Manager, Ocado
Technology at heart of Ocado’s warehouses
Ocado’s founding vision was to use technology and automation to run its online grocery business sustainably, profitably and at scale. At the centre of that model are its huge automated warehouses, the largest of their kind and among the most advanced in the world.
In its Erith warehouse in London, thousands of robots move across a giant grid and can fulfil an average 50-item customer order in under five minutes. A central control system orchestrates the robots using RFID technology to track their location. The tags sit close to the metal grid and need to perform reliably in both ambient and chilled environments.
Meeting the challenge
CoreRFID, Omni-ID and Ocado worked together trialling products and assessing tag performance against the reliability, fit and cost the project demanded. Early tests with the commercially available Omni-ID Fit210 tag came close, but the project needed a tag with a more reliable fixing and better temperature range performance. Trials assessed both the radio frequency characteristics of the tags and the physical realities of fitting them.
CoreRFID and Omni-ID managed the project end to end, coordinating design, prototyping, trials, manufacturing and delivery.
“Through our long-standing partnership with Core RFID, Omni-ID has addressed significant challenges that were delaying the widescale technology adoption by Ocado in their automated warehouses.”
– Dr Tony Kington, COO of Omni-ID
How custom RFID tags for automated warehouses keeps improving
Ocado has since moved the robot tags onto new chip technology, improving on the original tag’s performance. The Ocado Smart Platform has also expanded internationally, as more retailers adopt Ocado’s automated fulfilment technology in their own markets. CoreRFID continues to work with Ocado on new RFID applications across the business, including automating van check-in at Ocado’s distribution centre, covered in our other Ocado case study.