Ocado Group acquires robotics firm Myrmex

Ocado Group acquired a minority stake in Myrmex in October 2020 and appointed them to design and develop a proprietary solution that automates the loading of totes containing customer orders onto frames ready for dispatch. The ‘Automated Frameload’ solution (AFL) was unveiled at Ocado Re:Imagined in January 2022 as one of the seven critical innovations, and will be going live in Ocado Group CFCs later this year.

The acquisition of Myrmex will enable faster rollout of AFL across Ocado Group’s global CFC footprint, as well as open up new opportunities for the development of bespoke automation solutions for the Ocado Smart Platform. Myrmex has developed products and solutions applicable to a variety of processes in Ocado’s CFCs, but its technology also has potential applications for in-store locations, specifically for automating the grocery order pickup process.

A team of over 30 people from Myrmex with deep domain expertise in automation hardware and software will join Ocado Technology’s 2,500 strong team of technologists. 

Ocado Technology chief engineering officer James Gralton, says: “We’ve been impressed with Myrmex’s capabilities and their ability to design, develop and bring to market bespoke solutions. The collaboration between Ocado Group and Myrmex led to the launch of Automated Frameload in a little over a year. This acquisition is another important step on our automation journey.”