Tharsus, an advanced manufacturing company, has launched a new robotics business called VersaTile Automation with a major investment of £8 million. The company is based in Blyth, Northumberland and has introduced a ground-breaking automation technology platform to improve productivity in the warehouses of the UK. The business has been entirely conceived in Blyth and plans to expand on an international scale. VersaTile Automation aims to create jobs in AI, software, technology development, engineering and manufacturing sectors. The company seeks to become a significant employer by bringing high-value career opportunities to the local community.
VersaTile is led by the team behind Tharsus Group and has decades of experience in delivering innovative automation solutions for many businesses like Rolls Royce, Ocado and BMW worldwide. Using artificial intelligence, VersaTile’s technology features a modular automation system for high-intensity fulfilment centres which transforms warehouse environments by moving products with a dynamic tiling system. The ‘intelligent floor’ knows precisely where the goods are and quickly moves materials, doubling productivity and requiring just half of the space of conventional warehouse systems. Moreover, VersaTile is self-learning based on built-in AI capabilities and can adapt to unpredictable changes in real time. Crucially, the technology can be integrated into warehouses without changes needed to existing infrastructure, boosting productivity with both warehouse space and labour savings.
Wincanton has become VersaTile’s initial customer with an agreement for three years. VersaTile’s technology has been deployed in Wincanton’s state-of-the-art, high-volume eFulfilment centre in Northampton, resulting in a significant increase in the order picking efficiency of the Wincanton team and ultimately enabling faster deliveries. VersaTile’s unique 3D configuration delivers three times the pick and presentation rates and facilitates order picking within minutes, improving productivity by a great extent.
Joni Rautavuori, CEO of VersaTile, believes that current warehouse operations are under immense pressure to meet ever-changing customer demands for shorter delivery times, higher flexibility and lower cost in a sustainable manner. The lack of productivity development and availability of labour add to this challenge, making the situation worse, particularly in the UK. VersaTile’s solution uses advanced technology to solve this problem and Wincanton, a leading supply chain firm in the UK, has become the first customer to use it. Rautavuori adds, “Having Wincanton as our first customer shows the credibility of VersaTile technology and the trust in our experienced team behind it.”
