Former Head of Engineering at Ocado, Sid Shaikh, will help drive the development of the hyperTunnel method
hyperTunnel has appointed technology innovator Sid Shaikh to the role of Head of Robotics to spearhead the progression of its advanced technologies into operational solutions. Sid has a track record of delivering innovation on a global scale in extremely fast paced environments, most recently driving product development in Ocado’s technology division.
“There are a lot of synergies between Ocado’s transformation from an online retailer into a technology company and hyperTunnel’s ambitions,” Sid observes. “My experience of taking an idea and turning it into a production platform in operation, with the complex combination of hardware, software, electronics, scheduling, modelling and big data that entails is all very relevant. hyperTunnel’s method for creating a structured environment for its technology is very suited to automation.”
At Ocado, Sid introduced disruptive technologies across a portfolio of around 40 products, including largescale mechanical structures. This encompassed developing a sophisticated system of thousands of bots which reduced order picking times from two hours to just a few minutes. At Ocado, Sid and his team developed and delivered into production the first three generations of the Ocado Smart Platform, a highly sophisticated automated warehousing system with thousands of robots. This included a portfolio of more than 200 products including some highly disruptive technologies. By reducing order picking times from two hours to just a few minutes Ocado was able to sign deals with 10 of the biggest global online grocery retailers.
Prior to working at Ocado, Sid held leadership roles at Cambridge Consultants, GSK and Mars. He will now lead hyperTunnel’s engineering effort to develop the next generation of bots that will deliver its solution to customers.
hyperTunnel’s Director of Engineering Patrick Lane-Nott says, “Having someone of Sid’s expertise and experience in robotics will really help us to ramp up our work on the systems underpinning our bots, their management and reliability, so we can bring them from working prototypes to operational products as quickly as possible.”
Sid is enthusiastic about the multitude of applications for hyperTunnel’s technology; “I am very keen to demonstrate our solutions in the field as a key milestone to exploring the wide array of possible uses for them,” he continues. “I’m particularly excited by the massive potential for green applications. But, for me, what stands out above all is hyperTunnel’s strong culture of innovation, balanced with commercial focus, evidenced by its impressive technical board.”
