Wincanton has announced that it has deployed VersaTile, a new modular automation solution, at its Northampton shared user facility to enhance its high-volume e-Fulfilment offering for customers.
VersaTile is an automated, modular system of moving tiles for quickly bringing goods to pickers within a warehouse. Its implementation is expected to deliver a fivefold increase in pick and presentation rates, facilitating order picking within minutes and delivering significant efficiency and productivity benefits for Wincanton customers.
Wincanton’s shared user facility in Northampton is the first e-Fulfilment centre to benefit from this pioneering technology. Using its in-house Development Framework, Wincanton has designed and developed bespoke integration software that enables VersaTile to operate seamlessly with the company’s existing systems.
Wincanton has invested in its VersaTile solution to enable its customers’ fulfilment operations to be more agile. This comes after its proprietary research found that over 8 in 10 (83%) of UK retailers are planning for order volume growth over the next three years, but nearly nine in ten (89%) feel that increased orders would negatively impact their ability to successfully fulfil customer orders.
This announcement marks the latest in a series of investments Wincanton has made in automation technology, following the acquisition of Invar Group in March 2024.
Paul Durkin, Chief Customer and Innovation Officer at Wincanton, commented: “Wincanton is accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge technology for the benefit of its customers, and our exciting investment in this innovative tote-to-person picking solution from Versatile Automation will transform productivity and efficiency in our shared user eFulfilment operations.”
VersaTile is developed by Versatile Automation Ltd., a spin off company from automation technology manufacturer Tharsus.
Source: Wincanton