HelloFresh Grows Chilled SKU Capacity 5x With Locus Origin AMRs
Locus Robotics has expanded its cold-chain deployment at HelloFresh's Factor brand from 13 to 39 Origin AMRs, letting HelloFresh grow chilled fulfillment from 100 to 500 SKUs — a fivefold jump.
Key Takeaways
Locus Robotics expanded its cold-chain deployment at HelloFresh's Factor brand from 13 to 39 Origin AMRs within three months, growing chilled fulfillment from 100 to 500 SKUs — a fivefold increase.
Locus Origin robots average 3 minutes 36 seconds from order induction to box drop-off, far below the 30-60 minute 3PL benchmark for chilled orders.
Locus developed a heated-motor enhancement and charging modifications so the AMRs can operate and recharge inside temperature-controlled space.
HelloFresh chose a focused Locus proof of concept over larger fixed automation builds from two other vendors to move faster, cut upfront cost, and avoid single-point-of-failure conveyor risk.
Locus now supports about 12,000 sq ft of HelloFresh's chilled fulfillment space and two high-speed meal-kit picking lines, with expansion underway to the EveryPlate brand.
Kaan Tınmaz
Wilmington, Massachusetts — Locus Robotics has quintupled the chilled-fulfillment capacity of meal-kit giant HelloFresh, using a cold-storage hardware modification of its Origin AMR to grow the number of chilled SKUs the operator can pick from 100 to 500. The expansion supports new menu variety across HelloFresh brands including Factor and EveryPlate and marks one of the largest live deployments of AMRs inside temperature-controlled fulfillment.
Cold Aisles, Warm Motors
Factor first deployed 13 Locus Origin robots in July 2025 as a pilot. Locus Origin averaged just 3 minutes 36 seconds from order induction to box drop-off — well below the 30-60 minute 3PL benchmark for chilled orders. HelloFresh added 26 more Origin units within three months and is now expanding to EveryPlate. To make the robots work reliably in cold aisles, Locus developed a heated-motor enhancement plus charging modifications so the AMRs could operate and recharge inside chilled space.
Why HelloFresh Passed On A Big Bang
Brad Mesloh, HelloFresh's associate director of strategic design, said the meal-kit company initially evaluated a larger fixed automation build with two other vendors before choosing a focused Locus proof of concept. The approach let HelloFresh move faster, keep upfront cost down and avoid the single-point-of-failure risk of fixed conveyor systems. Locus now supports about 12,000 sq ft of HelloFresh's chilled fulfillment space and two high-speed meal-kit picking lines.
How did Locus Robotics help HelloFresh expand chilled SKU capacity?
Locus grew its deployment at HelloFresh's Factor brand from 13 to 39 Origin AMRs, using a cold-storage hardware modification that let HelloFresh increase chilled SKUs from 100 to 500 — a fivefold jump supporting menu variety across Factor and EveryPlate.
How were the Origin AMRs adapted for cold-storage environments?
Locus developed a heated-motor enhancement plus charging modifications so the robots could operate and recharge reliably inside chilled fulfillment aisles.
How fast are the Locus Origin robots at fulfilling chilled orders?
They average just 3 minutes 36 seconds from order induction to box drop-off, well below the 30-60 minute benchmark typical of 3PL chilled-order fulfillment.
Why did HelloFresh choose Locus AMRs over fixed automation?
After evaluating larger fixed automation builds with two other vendors, HelloFresh opted for a Locus proof of concept because it was faster to deploy, lower in upfront cost, and avoided the single-point-of-failure risk of fixed conveyor systems.
