From Systems of Record to Systems That Think

Estimated 4 min reading time

A vision from ORBN

Foodservice doesn’t run on systems. It runs on people constantly solving the same problems in slightly different ways. Every day, teams chase missing stock, fix supplier errors, and re-enter the same data across disconnected tools. The effort keeps businesses alive, but it also keeps them from growing.

ORBN exists to change that.

The end of manual management

Traditional business systems record and route human work. They create efficiency through structure: stock ledgers, order screens, and approval chains. But their real value still depends on how faithfully people feed and maintain them.

Take, for example, a warehouse management system. It enforces a sequence of human actions: print pick sheets, mark shortages, book goods in, reconcile invoices. The software keeps score, but the humans play the game.

The illusion of the AI helper

As AI has entered the public zeitgeist, the challenge of integrating this revolutionary technology has led many to modernise old systems by adding a chatbot or “co-pilot” assistant on top. “Show me today’s orders.” “Generate a stock report.” “Draft a purchase order.” It feels futuristic, but it’s the same work repeated through a different interface. People are still pushing the system forward one prompt at a time. The system remains a system of record, not of action.

The next step: self-driving operations

ORBN envisions a world that is different. We are building systems that don’t wait for instructions. They move work forward on their own, using live data as context for action.

Imagine a system that:

• Adjusts purchasing schedules automatically when a supplier delay hits.
• Rebalances routes before anyone intervenes when vans are overloaded.
• Adapts restocking and pricing models in real time when orders fluctuate.
• Generates complete invoices from the movement of goods, not the memory of staff.

You still decide the strategy — who to serve, how to grow, where to focus — but the daily mechanics handle themselves. The operation no longer depends on perfect human recall to keep running.

From assistance to autonomy

ORBN’s journey will follow a similar path to self-driving vehicles: from lane assist to full autonomy.

• Now – Assistive mode surfaces anomalies such as “Customer X hasn’t ordered for 12 days” or “Van 3 is approaching capacity.” People act faster with clearer context.
• Near future – Adaptive mode lets the system take the first pass. It rebalances pick routes, reorders top sellers, and updates temperature logs.
• 6 months and beyond – Autonomous mode runs the operation within your parameters. Teams focus on steering performance rather than chasing paperwork.

Each stage builds trust. The system learns the rhythm of the business and takes on more responsibility over time.

A new mental model for operations

Just as self-driving cars will not look like old cars without drivers, self-driving operations will not look like old ERPs with AI bolted on. We will have to change the way we think about these systems. The future will depend on unified platforms where data flows like blood, connecting every part of the business in real time.

When your systems understand every signal — every order, scan, and supplier event — and act intelligently on them, your team’s attention returns to where it belongs: serving customers, improving quality, and driving growth.

Our vision

The goal is not to replace people. It is to free them from the constant firefighting that hides opportunities for improvement.

ORBN is building a world where foodservice operations think for themselves.
A world where data is not buried in systems of record, but alive in systems that act.
A world where teams can finally focus on what matters most: running the business, not running after it.