Kindred and Hy-Tek Partner to Expand Retail and E-Commerce Order Fulfillment Capabilities

SAN FRANCISCO & COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kindred and Hy-Tek Integrated Systems will partner to integrate Kindred’s SORT robotic systems with Hy-Tek’s material handling solutions to automate retail and e-commerce order fulfillment operations fully. The partnership will expand Hy-Tek’s apparel customers’ distribution center and warehouse automation capabilities, accelerating polybag pick and place processes to meet increasing consumer demand.

Hy-Tek’s ECOMPLETE e-commerce solution helps retailers improve existing e-commerce platforms or enter into e-commerce for the first time. A one-stop-shop for e-commerce components, ECOMPLETE takes sellers from click to ship and everything in between.

Hy-Tek also provides integrated conveyor systems, welded construction conveyor installation, engineered storage systems, receiving and shipping systems, robotic palletizing cells and complete turnkey solutions for any material handling application.

“In this rapidly growing e-commerce fulfillment environment, Hy-Tek turned to Kindred and its SORT robotic system to solve challenges that our customers were facing,” said Donnie Johnson, President, Hy-Tek Integrated Systems. “Kindred offered an affordable yet flexible solution to efficiently and effectively improve their e-commerce fulfillment operations. We are very excited to be able to add this as a solution to our service offerings.”

To meet the continued peaks in online orders since the COVID-19 outbreak, Kindred’s Robotics as a Service (RaaS) model changes how robots are deployed. Hy-Tek’s retail and e-commerce customers pay for the SORT robots’ service, such as the number of items the robots pick, rather than making a major capital investment. Retailers can use the RaaS model to minimize large one-time capital investments and better manage costs.

“Investing in robotic automation benefits both Hy-Tek and global retailers alike,” said Marin Tchakarov, CEO of Kindred. “By partnering with Hy-Tek to expand both parties’ order fulfillment capabilities, we further our contribution to the workforce of the future with unmatched, field-proven technology.”

Kindred SORT pick and place robots utilize CORE with AutoGrasp™, a robotics artificial intelligence platform that identifies items to pick, place and sort them into complete end-customer orders. Kindred’s CORE with AutoGrasp™ combines AI-powered machine vision, grasping and manipulation algorithms that handle a range of merchandise, including deformable items such as polybags.

Kindred uses cutting-edge AI research and human-in-the-loop data methodology to continuously improve robot capabilities so that picking becomes smarter, faster and more accurate over time. CORE with AutoGrasp™ is continually enhancing the platform’s capabilities and providing critical business intelligence to inform decisions and increase productivity.

About Kindred

Kindred is a robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) company that develops robots to solve real-world problems. Its mission is to enhance the lives of human workers with the power of AI robotics. Kindred’s cutting-edge technology is the foundation of a number of proprietary platforms, including CORE with AutoGrasp™, developed to operate robots autonomously in dynamic environments. Its team of scientists, engineers and business operators have set a new standard for reinforcement learning for robots. The company is co-located in San Francisco and Toronto and is part of the UK-based Ocado Group plc. For more information, visit www.kindred.ai.

About Hy-Tek

Headquartered in Columbus, OH, Hy-Tek is a material handling automation integrator serving clients in diverse end-markets and applications, including e-commerce, third-party logistics and parcel. Hy-Tek was established as a combination of Hy-Tek Material Handling, WorldSource, and BP Controls. Together, they operate as Hy-Tek Material Handling, LLC. Hy-Tek is the premier single-source provider of material handling solutions for a wide range of industries including manufacturing, distribution, retail, construction, food, electronics and automotive. Since 1963, Hy-Tek and its best-in-class industry partners—including manufacturers of industrial equipment; conveyor systems; automated storage and retrieval systems; rack and shelving—have been providing customers large and small with turnkey solutions. From customized one-of-a-kind handling and storage systems to pre-assembled buildings and off-the-shelf products—Hy-Tek’s experienced team of engineering, sales, operations and project management professionals partner with customers to help enhance productivity, streamline processes and boost profitability. With over 500 employees, Hy-Tek serves customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from offices in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Contact www.hy-tek.com or 800.837.1217.