Magic floor reinvents warehouse automation

THE FUNDAMENTAL innovation is the moving tile, which carries goods stored in a tote or roll cage, depending on the system, to the pick station. VersaTile Matrix moves totes and VersaTile Grid moves roll cages.

Versatile Automation chief executive Joni Rautavuori says: “The key thought was - what if we turn the AMR on its back? Keep it simple, just the wheels and the motors, wiring and electronics.

“Everything else in the market is a storage and retrieval system. Whether it uses shuttles, AMRs, or a cube storage system with robots on top, it’s the same principle - static inventory storage and retrieval. Our concept is a dynamic system where every location is an active cell at the same time. Everything can move in parallel and we can respond to need instantly.”

The system is something like a sliding puzzle, with free spaces to allow the carriers and their loads to move when pickers need them. Utilisation of the grid is typically between 75-85% of the grid, depending on applications, as spaces need to be left to allow the creation of these dynamic aisles.

Versatile Automation is targeting fast moving environments where you have high frequency of movement coupled with a need for high density.

Joni continues: “The idea came from customers wanting a robotic solution to address fast moving applications, for example cross-docking and picking.”

The height limit for Matrix system is currently 4 metres, while the system can be used in conjunction other automated systems which are more suitable for longer term storage.

Scalability was a key development point for Joni.

He says: “Keeping it fully modular and scalable was important as much of the existing automation does not scale down very well. They are coming from a high volume DC environment and sometimes require ultra-flat floors.

“Our solution will go to any existing facility. We put the Wincanton system into a mezzanine floor, the installation took three days, plus integration. Its all about simplicity and ease of integration.”

The software is, as ever, where the complexity resides. 

Joni continues: “Data allows us to optimise movements and allow for demand planning to inform order profiling. To take a simple example, making sure beverage SKUs are lined up in faster-to-pick locations for a hot day.”

Tharsus is the company behind Versatile Automation. It is an engineering and manufacturing services company, and for the last 15 years it has been focused on automation and the logistics sector. Ocado is its most notable customer. Tharsus designed the Ocado bot and has been manufacturing it for the last 15 years.

The firm manufactures in Blyth, with both metal fabrication and bot assembly capability. That it is a UK tech firm is important from a support point of view. Reliability is enhanced further with the use of machine learning - sensors in every tile monitor performance allowing for correction before critical failures occur.

Versatile Automation sees its main route to market as through system integrators and sales partner, as ‘they already have the existing relationships’.

“VersaTile is often a complementary solution to existing automation,” says Joni. “No solution serves all work patterns. We will increasingly see hybrid solutions being deployed.”

For more information, visit www.versatileautomation.com