Tompkins Robotics launches new lease program to help companies meet customer demands while conserving capital

Tompkins Robotics, a business unit of Tompkins International, has launched a new lease program for its customers, enabling retailers, third-party logistics (3PL) providers and other businesses to rapidly deploy the company’s t-Sort autonomous mobile robot (AMR) solutions with minimal capital expenditures.

Tompkins Robotics’ lease program allows customers to avoid the initial capital expense and also have the option to own the system at the end of the lease. Typical lease lengths are three, five or seven years and can be customized to best fit the customer’s needs.

“E-commerce continues to grow at rapid rates and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated this trend, particularly in segments like grocery, which are currently experiencing double digit growth and struggling to meet rapidly evolving consumer demands,” said Mike Futch, president of Tompkins Robotics. “In these uncertain times, our lease program enables all companies to immediately capitalize on the benefits of automation.”

Ideal for small to large distribution operations, t-Sort is a portable, scalable robotic sortation system that operates similar to a tilt tray or crossbelt sorter without a fixed track, with independent robots that move freely along the shortest path to any divert or induction station. It can be used for both unit and parcel sortation in a variety of environments and applications, including e-commerce fulfillment, store replenishment, shipping and returns and retail and postal backrooms. Tompkins Robotics’ AMR suite also features the t-Sort Mini for sorting small and lightweight items and the t-Sort Plus, which is capable of handling items up to 66 pounds—six times the weight of the original t-Sort solution. This summer, the company also released t-Rail, which enables overhead transportation of goods without disruption to floor-level activities.

Robots are already being explored by many businesses as an attractive solution to combat rising costs and address an ongoing labor shortage. In addition to avoiding a large upfront investment, Tompkins Robotics’ lease program offers companies complete portability, unmatched flexibility and the ability to scale as needed. Additional robots can be quickly added or removed as volume fluctuates. The system can also be relocated to a different operation within just a few days—a great advantage for retailers or 3PLs that need to ramp up for peak seasons or unforeseen market changes.