Former Attabotics employee Andrew Rockwell pays tribute as firm files for bankruptcy protection amid Tesco link

Andrew Rockwell has taken to social media to discuss his time at Attabotics, a Canadian robotics and automation startup that has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to multiple reports.

In a LinkedIn post, Rockwell, who served as Project Manager - Client Services, said: “I was saddened last night to hear of the sudden “closing of the doors” at Attabotics. I spent nearly six years there, and I consider those years to have been transformative for me professionally.”

“To me, Attabotics represented an opportunity to change direction - it was both a doorway into the tech industry and my introduction to a more prominent role within project leadership. But most importantly, it was an opportunity for me to see and feel the impact that can be made by a team of proud, diverse, and hard working people all pulling in the same direction to do the impossible.”

He added: “At Attabotics people of all stripes and with diverse areas of professional expertise banded together to achieve incredible things. Never before had I been given such an opportunity to learn from talented and inspiring colleagues - from engineers and programmers, to manufacturing and assembly technicians, to people experienced in quality management, procurement, safety, business, customer success, logistics and more.”

“It was a scrappy group. We were out to solve a complex problem and, despite the incredible collective will and brainpower at our disposal, we knew we would have an uphill battle to make the business a success - there are no instructions to follow on how to change the world. But people poured their heart and soul into the work - long hours, weekends and sleepless nights, unorthodox or brute force methods, and all too often ‘Hail-Mary’ efforts.”

He concluded: “I’d like to thank everyone at Attabotics for the incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth during my tenure there. While I’ve moved on some time ago now, I’ve continued to feel invested in the company and I’ve been rooting for you from the sidelines. While it saddens me to hear that this chapter is closing, I look forward to seeing what other adventures await the incredible people that pushed those ideas so far along.”

Tesco

Earlier this week, we reported that Tesco had entered into an agreement with Attabotics that would see the UK grocery giant tapping the firm’s micro-fulfillment systems to fulfill online grocery orders.

It’s a move that is likely in line with plans to grow the former’s Whoosh and Marketplace offerings.

According to a report by Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive, citing multiple unnamed sources, it had evaluated numerous micro-fulfillment solutions on the market including AutoStore and Fabric.

The retailer looked at the technology from Attabotics for nearly two years before entering into an agreement to purchase and install a system. It required the company to meet stringent requirements across a variety of areas including picking speed, uptime, ease of use, and safety.

“I believe the evaluation of Attabotics by Tesco is the most thorough micro-fulfillment search and selection process ever conducted by a retailer. Bravo Tesco!” Ladd said.

“CEO and Founder of Attabotics, Scott Gravelle, senior executives, and the entire Attabotics team, has worked diligently over the last several years to design and introduce new technology, and improve the software utilised by Attabotics. The sales team has signed new customers, while engineering has installed more systems for current customers.”

“Attabotics also trimmed its headcount in several departments “to increase our ability to make decisions and execute even faster” which resulted in a small number of layoffs recently. I continue to rank Attabotics as being one of the most advanced robotics and fulfillment companies on the market. It deserves to be congratulated for signing Tesco as a new customer.”

Tesco is arguably one of the most advanced grocery retailers in the world, Ladd argued.

“I think very highly of it. I think it has one of the best automated grocery fulfillment programmes in Europe and globally. I’ve had multiple discussions with executives from Tesco about MFCs and automation. I agree with the majority of the strategy.”

He added that containers loaded with the Attabotics system were on their way to England. The installation of the MFC would begin in the near future. Tesco has committed to installing additional MFCs from Attabotics depending on the results of the first installation.

Ladd concluded: “Amazon, Walmart, H-E-B, and Kroger have invested heavily to automate online grocery fulfillment utilising a variety of micro-fulfillment systems and robotics. The use of MFCs is going to accelerate. The future of groceries is automation.”

RTIH is waiting on confirmation from Tesco on whether the Attabotics partnership is now going ahead and how it will work given the bankruptcy protection move.

Attabotics did not respond to our request for comment.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Automation will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

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