In the case of Wesfarmers retail division Kmart, the continued growth in their business necessitated evaluating new technologies to pilot and implement in their New Zealand D&F hub. Seeking a best-in-class automation solution and through a detailed RFP process, Kmart ultimately selected Tompkins Robotics’ tSort system. This tSort system and program was implemented remotely across multiple time zones including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and India. This was achieved through the challenges of a global pandemic with strong collaboration and teamwork.

Supply Chain leaders were looking for a cost-effective solution to build a system that sorts customer prescription orders to hundreds of stores. The client successfully implemented a dynamic sortation solution to service 447 stores while improving sortation accuracy for the 3-level system design allowed the company to meet their increased production requirements, while remaining within the existing footprint. tSort ensures high throughput per square foot with low capital investment relative to traditional sortation systems.

Orlando, FL, March 20, 2023- Tompkins Robotics is expanding its robotic solution offerings and will be introducing its new PickPal product series which is line of pick assist (PA) autonomous mobile robots (AMR) at ProMat.  Attendees of ProMat can see a demonstration of this system in the Tompkins Robotics ProMat Booth N7140 from the 20th-24th.  There are currently two models in the PickPal series, the standard PickPal which can carry 60 kg of orders, and the PickPal+ which handles up to 100kg of orders. There are additional models coming soon to carry more orders, have higher capacity, and apply pick assist technology to case picking. This robotic technology follows Tompkins Robotics core design elements of producing adaptive, flexible, and scalable solutions.     PickPal provides a quickly implemented and low operating cost robotic technology that can be inserted into existing operations doing order fulfillment in a scalable RaaS model. The RaaS model has minimal implementation costs and a low cost of ownership while driving significant labor savings and capacity improvement. PickPal will drive capacity, cost, and work force improvements in operations that are struggling with meeting fulfillment demands.  PickPal integrates with other technologies to improve efficiency in existing automated systems as well.  Mike Futch, President & CEO of Tompkins Robotics, explains how the PickPal solution is positioned and benefits the supply chain market.  “Tompkins Robotics’ PickPal series provides a new solution with more flexible contracts, lower monthly costa, and minimal risk to help 3PL, e-commerce and other fulfillment customers handle the growing problems that traditional, large-scale solutions cannot easily address.  PickPal’s ability to handle the rising number of SKUs, increases in each picking, and faster delivery demands make it a terrific solution for customers to address their fulfillment problems.”     Tompkins Robotics continues to develop technologies and new applications that evolve the picking and sortation process helping increase the capacity and utilization of their customers’ distribution and fulfillment centers.  Tompkins Robotics will be demonstrating their new PickPal solution at ProMat, Booth N7140, as well as in the Tompkins Robotics’ Lab in Orlando, FL.  For additional information or to arrange a demonstration of the Induction Lift please visit www.tompkinsrobotics.com.   Media are invited to meet with Tompkins Robotics representatives during the product launch press conference at Booth N7140 on Tuesday, March 21st at 1:30 PM.  Contact Lauren Fiochetta at lfiochetta@tompkinsrobotics.com for more information.     About Tompkins Robotics focuses on robotic automation of distribution and fulfillment operations. Beginning over five years ago with our robotic sortation solution, tSort™, we have continued to develop innovative solutions to provide our customers’ unmatched flexibility and capacity throughout their supply chain processes.  We have added solutions upstream, like our Pick Assist AMR, PickPal, as well as downstream, with the only automated takeaway unit from a unit sorter robot, xChange. Our warehouse execution systems, tWES, links all these technologies and provides a broad solution set for our customers. Tompkins Robotics continues to evolve and enhance our customers’ operations with solutions that maximize modularity, floorspace, flexibility, and speed of implementation and our RaaS financing option allows for customers to see an even faster ROI to make them more successful in todays’ dynamic marketplace.  Additional information available at www.tompkinsrobotics.com  

Tompkins Robotics is expanding its robotic solution offerings and will be introducing its new Induction Lift and the new multi-function robotic sortation system at ProMat.  Attendees of ProMat can see demonstrations of these systems in the Tompkins Robotics ProMat Booth N7140 from the 20th-24th.  These two robotic technologies follow Tompkins Robotics core design elements of producing adaptive, flexible, and scalable solutions.     Tompkins Robotics new Induction Lift system is a creative and simple way to improve the ergonomics, speed, and range of induction to our tSort system.  This latest automated technology solution allows an operator to induct to multiple levels of our AMR sortation from a single station at induction.  The Induction Lift eliminates the need for pre-sorting of items and allows for a larger, more efficient batch pick process upstream of the order sortation process.  The solution provides a better ergonomic working environment that adjusts to each operator, making them more comfortable and productive for longer.  Safety features protecting the operator further demonstrate the system’s design intent of integrating employees with technology to enhance the entire sortation process. This system allows us to stack our tSort AMR sortation system in up to 5 levels when used in tandem with our existing automated order container removal and replacement AMR, xChange.   The Multi-Function robotic sorter system is unique and revolutionary. The award winning tSort system has been modified to do item sortation to orders and the outbound shipping of packed orders in a single system. In a typical tSort system there are 2 more levels of AMR sortation. The Multi-Function system sorts the items going to unique orders on one level of a tSort system and sorts the outbound parcels on another level. This changes the game for most operations as all the space, cost, material handling systems, and much of the labor to move consolidated orders to and through packing to the shipping system is eliminated. This solution has both the order fulfillment and the outbound shipping in the same footprint and system as opposed to traditional sites where expensive, space consuming conveyor systems move orders to and from packing. The savings in space and capital are tremendous. With the addition of automated packaging solutions, the gain in capacity, cost reduction, and process improvement is even greater.     Tompkins Robotics continues to develop technologies and new applications that evolve the picking and sortation process helping increase the capacity and utilization of their customers’ distribution and fulfillment centers. Tompkins Robotics will be demonstrating their new PickPal and Induction Lift solution at ProMat, Booth N7140, as well as in the Tompkins Robotics’ Lab in Orlando, FL.  For additional information or to arrange a demonstration of the Induction Lift please visit www.tompkinsrobotics.com.   Media are invited to meet with Tompkins Robotics representatives during the product launch press conference at Booth N7140 on Tuesday, March 21st at 1:30 PM.     About: Tompkins Robotics focuses on robotic automation of distribution and fulfillment operations. Beginning over five years ago with our robotic sortation solution, tSort™, we have continued to develop innovative solutions to provide our customers’ unmatched flexibility and capacity throughout their supply chain processes.  We have added solutions upstream, like our Pick Assist AMR, PickPal, as well as downstream, with the only automated takeaway unit from a unit sorter robot, xChange. Our warehouse execution systems, tWES, links all these technologies and provides a broad solution set for our customers. Tompkins Robotics continues to evolve and enhance our customers’ operations with solutions that maximize modularity, floorspace, flexibility, and speed of implementation and our RaaS financing option allows for customers to see an even faster ROI to make them more successful in todays’ dynamic marketplace.  Additional information available at www.tompkinsrobotics.com   Contact: Lauren Fiochetta Tompkins Robotics 412.576.0169 lfiochetta@tompkinsrobotics.com www.tompkinsrobotics.com