Leading the future of global automation and robotics, Renovotec scales up its operation
Since its inception in 2009, Renovotec has made a name for itself as a leading provider of innovative, business transforming technology solutions. With ambitions of becoming an international forerunner in automation and robotics, the company has seen accelerated growth over the last year and a half. As Chief Executive Officer, Richard Gilliard, begins: “We’ve had some notable wins recently, including some new accounts, and the expansion of our work with existing clients. Most significantly, the company expanded its footprint across the Asia-Pacific region.
“To help establish our presence in Australia, we acquired a local company, one of the major players in our industry, called SkyWire. Their head office is in Sydney, but their network reaches all the way through Australia and New Zealand. I had the pleasure of meeting our new teams out there just over a month ago, and I’m really excited for the work we’ll be doing together. 
“The company has also enjoyed massive growth over the past year, by delivering electronic shelf edge labeling solutions. It’s been really thrilling to see some of the opportunities that these new technologies have opened up for us, and to facilitate this considerable growth, we’ve purchased a 15,000-square-foot warehouse in Normanton, West Yorkshire.
“This will help serve our expanding client base, as our existing facilities were exceeding their capacity. In addition, our old warehouses were reliant on a legacy IT system that couldn’t handle the extensive demand. We store high-value products, so the organization and security systems need to be top-notch. We needed a more modern facility, and that’s why we invested in Normanton. The new location will also allow us to scale, making room for more inventory and a bigger team.
“The new unit is already filling up, which is a really positive indicator of growth, but a logistical challenge. We have just installed a mezzanine, which will accommodate even more people. We’ve been able to streamline our site network by putting our energy into a single, large-scale location that manages multiple functionalities. In this sense, it’s helped improve performance across the board. We no longer spend time or money shipping products from one site to another, everything is more centralized, and the process has become clearer as a result.
“Additionally, our centrally located site has helped cut down on long-term costs by reducing our reliance on third party warehouse contracts. Most importantly, all of these changes have allowed us to level up our customer service. Everything is faster and more transparent. It’s great news for the people who work with us, and for us.”
Meaningful expansion
Robotic voice solution technology is one area in which Renovotec really shines. Technical Director, Jamie Mottershead, details the company’s latest developments: “We’re right at the cutting edge of robotic voice solution technology, and we’re working with Honeywell to develop our solutions and integrate them with the latest technological developments. In recent years, the market has moved toward Android based solutions. Honeywell is a forerunner in this area, and our partnership is vital for delivering the best to our customer base.
“Previously, voice activation would have to come as part of a dedicated product, whereas now customers can pick and choose the voice solutions they need and add them to almost any design. It’s much more flexible and customizable on their end, as they no longer need to choose between higher screen resolution and vocal recognition.
“Combining the best elements of our existing products allows us to offer a single-tool solution. We’ve also integrated robotics into our offering in a more meaningful way, expanding our capabilities to include the movement of products around a warehouse floor. This helps streamline work processes by making sure each individual on the shop floor has the most efficient route for completing their assigned tasks.”
The recent acquisition of SkyWire has been a major strategic move for the business, as Richard reveals: “I was familiar with the Chief Executive of SkyWire for a number of years. We’ve been in negotiations for some time. Finally, they approached us last year to discuss a formal sale of the company. My contact at the company was willing to stay on and manage the transition, which has been a huge asset as we go through the process of merging the businesses together. It made a perfect addition for us and has helped us work toward our goals of becoming an international leader in our sector.
“Additionally, the location was ideal because we were already doing business in Australia. The companies had joint clients, which made the whole transition feel more natural. On top of that, the teams in Australia did an amazing job of adopting our systems and processes. It all worked incredibly well, and I think that’s because we took the time to acquire a company with similar values to our own. It was a perfect fit.”
Having laid sturdy foundations for success, Renovotec is now one step closer to becoming a global tech titan. As Richard concludes: “We currently provide solutions worldwide. We’ve done rollouts as far afield as Taiwan and Bangladesh. For me, the next five years will be about consolidating our international presence and taking any opportunity to grow and challenge ourselves even further.”