Tompkins Robotics, a business unit of Tompkins International, has expanded its product offering with the addition of t-Rail, an overhead robotic system capable of transporting a variety of goods and materials without disruption to floor-level activities. T-Rail can be deployed in distribution centers and fulfillment centers and is also used with Tompkins Robotics’ micro-fulfillment solution to optimize operations in a retail store or backroom setting.

“The recent COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated an already burgeoning e-commerce market, causing many warehouses to exceed available capacity and forcing retailers to explore alternative options such as store-based fulfillment,” said Mike Futch, president of Tompkins Robotics. “The unique overhead design of our new t-Rail system helps both warehouse and in-store fulfillment operations deal with increased demand while also reducing labor requirements, minimizing floor congestion and human interaction and providing additional value for customers.”

T-Rail’s design can carry bulk quantities of items or packages via a hopper or tote. The system utilizes elevators to interact with floor-level operations, allowing warehouses to maximize valuable space and eliminate traffic on the floor. When used in a retail setting, t-Rail provides overhead transport of loose items, customer orders or cases of goods between the backroom and sales floor without causing aisle congestion or interference with in-store shoppers or workers, including:

• Transporting totes of picked items from store aisles to the backroom for online order fulfillment
• Delivering completed customer orders to their desired destination, including BOPIS lockers, drive-up windows or other pickup areas
• Delivering items from the backroom to specific aisle segments for store replenishment

About Tompkins Robotics
Tompkins Robotics, a business unit of Tompkins International, is focused on the robotic automation of distribution operations. Our primary system, t-Sort, consists of autonomous mobile robots that sort a wide range of items and parcels to consolidation points. t-Sort is a portable, automated material handling sortation system that is creating a huge paradigm shift in the supply chain and how the basic distribution function of order fulfillment is accomplished. We continue to expand this core system with complementary robotic systems to automate processes in fulfillment operations. Our systems maximize performance with mobile, scalable and flexible robotics solutions that grow and change on demand to meet customer needs. We create profit and value for our clients, making them more agile and adaptable to the highly dynamic changes in the marketplace.