Ocado VP opens up on vision for warehouse integration

Simon Duddy: Often providers claim to provide ‘end to end’ warehouse orchestration. Over the coming years, how will companies find a way to ‘orchestrate the orchestrators’?

David Scheffrahn: The ecosystem is still the lynchpin to wall-to-wall fulfillment. The companies that build around hardware and software providers designed to work together will be the ones to maximise interoperability.

The best way to take full advantage of the ecosystem’s reach is to select hardware that doesn’t lock you into permanent infrastructure, and software that lets you add workflows or change strategies without a system overhaul. This approach is also wise financially. Investment horizons have shortened, and the appetite for rigid, long-tail investment commitments has faded. A robust ecosystem of complementary technologies and software enable logistics leaders to the implement quickly, evaluate, scale and reassess.

SD: What do you think is the best way for end users to achieve a single view of warehouse performance?

DS: Every platform in the warehouse wants to visualise data, capture data and give you a way to interface with their system. That can quickly lead to a situation where you have many different data ‘truths’ competing for attention. Companies can solve this by making a deliberate decision early on about where authoritative data lives, and how to protect its integrity from the start.

The best approach is to start with a single source of truth and build outward from it. Rather than layering dashboards on top of fragmented systems, companies should prioritise a software foundation that governs workflows and captures full-floor data by design. When the execution software is doing the work of coordinating tasks, teams and technologies, it naturally becomes the place where performance data lives. The goal is a system where visibility isn’t bolted on after the fact — it’s built into the way the operation runs.

That’s exactly what Ocado IQ is designed to do.

It’s running AMRs and workflows from a single interface while it’s capturing operational data that gives leaders real-time visibility into pick times, walking time, scan accuracy, and more.

SD: Ocado IQ acts as the orchestrator. Does this refer only to Ocado hardware, or also to third-party hardware and software systems?

DS: Ocado IQ is purpose-built to orchestrate technologies within the Ocado Mobile Robot System such as the Chuck and Porter AMRs. and the Ocado IQ app. It’s also designed to connect with the broader tech stack operators already have in place. Ocado IQ integrates with any WMS, ERP or LMS and layers AI-powered execution logic on top without requiring a system overhaul. We have partnerships with Packsize for on-demand box making, Paccurate for carton optimisation, and SVT Robotics, who offers software connections to systems from other providers. Ocado’s vision is to continue to bring other automation portfolios onto one common software layer to expand integration across the warehouse.

With over 25 years of experience in the automation and manufacturing technology sectors, David Scheffrahn began with a focus on robotic solutions for leading semiconductor, electronics and automotive manufacturers. He has been at the forefront of e-commerce and supply chain technology, working with pioneering startups such as Rethink Robotics, Seegrid, Plus One Robotics and Dexterity.

Since joining Ocado in June 2023, David is committed to transforming OIA’s customers fulfillment operations with the Ocado Storage and Retrieval System (OSRS) and the Ocado Mobile Robot Solution (OMRS). David also serves as a mentor to younger professionals in the supply chain technology space.