ORLANDO, FL – Tompkins Robotics, a global leader focused on the robotic automation of distribution and fulfillment operations, announced it has named Tony Villanova Vice President, PickPal Solutions. In this new senior leadership role, Villanova will spearhead the development of the company's flagship picking solution in support of the continued growth of its industry-leading autonomous mobile robotic (AMR) system, tSort.
"We are pleased to welcome Tony to help lead our PickPal Solutions business," said Mike Futch, President & CEO of Tompkins Robotics. "He is a collaborative leader, strategic thinker and skilled communicator with hands-on experience with AMR solutions, and we look forward to his contributions to the company."
The PickPal robotic technology follows Tompkins Robotics core design elements of producing adaptive, flexible, and scalable solutions. The system can be quickly implemented, features low operating costs and is compatible with a range of existing fulfillment operations in a scalable RaaS model. PickPals ability to handle the rising number of SKUs and faster delivery demands make it an ideal low-risk choice to help 3PL, e-commerce and other fulfillment customers handle the growing problems that traditional, large-scale systems cannot easily address. To date, the company has introduced two models in its PickPal Solutions series that can pick and carry up to 220 lbs/100 kg and 440 lbs/200 kg of orders, respectively, and plans to announce additional models in the near future.
Villanova brings more than two decades of supply chain operations expertise to Tompkins Robotics, with demonstrated success and commitment to driving lean methodologies and fostering continuous improvement within his teams and customer base. His supply chain, operations management and finance experience includes roles in various industry sectors including retail, 3PL, and industrial companies. Most recently, he worked with 6 River Systems designing and delivering AMR solutions.
Villanova earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Finance from West Virginia University, and was awarded an MBA with honors from Salisbury University, Maryland. He is a former non-commissioned officer with the US Marine Corps Reserves.