Tharsus is establishing a new company with an investment of £8 million

ProductionInvestment

Advanced manufacturing company Tharsus has launched a new business with an investment of £8 million.

VersaTile Automation – a new robotics company based in Blyth, Northumberland – has launched an automation technology platform aimed at increasing productivity in UK warehouses.

With plans to expand internationally, the company concept was entirely conceived in Blyth. The team expects the company to become a significant employer in the region, providing the local community with much-needed, high-value career opportunities in the AI, software, technology development, engineering and manufacturing sectors.

The company will create highly skilled jobs in and around the city, which it says have often been forgotten in favor of economic development in London and the south-east of England.

VersaTile is led by the Tharsus Group team, which has decades of experience delivering progressive automation solutions to a range of companies around the world, including Rolls Royce, Ocado and BMW.

Powered by artificial intelligence, VersaTile technology is a modular automation system for high-intensity fulfillment centers that revolutionizes warehouse environments by moving products using a dynamic tile system. The “smart floor” knows exactly where goods are and can move materials instantly, doubling efficiency and taking up only half the space of traditional warehouse systems.

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VersaTile is also self-learning with built-in AI capabilities and can respond to unpredictable changes in real time. Most importantly, the technology integrates with warehouses without requiring changes to existing infrastructure, increasing productivity through both space and labor savings.

VersaTile also announces Wincanton as its first customer, with the logistics company signing an initial three-year agreement. The technology has been deployed at Wincanton’s state-of-the-art, high-volume eFulfillment centre in Northampton.

The VersaTile solution significantly increases the order picking efficiency of the Wincanton team, navigating a complex, high-volume environment to ultimately enable faster deliveries, and integrates with existing systems.

VersaTile technology is on track to dramatically improve performance. Its unique 3D configuration delivers a three-fold increase in picking and presentation rates, making it easy to pick orders in minutes.

Joni Rautavuori, CEO of VersaTile, commented: “Supply chains are under enormous pressure to meet constantly changing customer demands for faster delivery times, greater flexibility and lower costs in a sustainable manner. The lack of development in productivity and labor availability compounds this challenge, particularly in the UK.

“Today’s warehouse operations are buckling under pressure, and warehouse workers are under more strain than ever. The VersaTile solution uses advanced technology to solve this problem. Having Wincanton, a leading UK supply chain company, as our first customer demonstrates the credibility of the VersaTile technology and the confidence in our experienced team behind it.”

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