Richard Locke, Ocado’s head of general merchandise, said: “With our first general merchandise distribution centre now operating at capacity, the opening of our second facility creates exciting new opportunities to grow and build on the success we have had in GM in recent years.

“Using AutoStore with Swisslog again means that we have alignment between our first and second GMDCs, as we are using tried and trusted technology. The added capacity which GMDC2 will also support our first Fulfilled By Ocado partnership with Dobbies, which will be launching this year.”

The new solution consists of 72,108 bins, 94 robots, 14 carousel ports and seven conveyor ports. It can handle single items and small cases in a space-efficient and productive way.

Robots with transport and lifting functionality operate the system. Equipped with a lift, they retrieve the storage bins from the AutoStore grid and present them at the integrated picking stations, led by a controls and location management system.

Source: Logistics Manager