Dexory Ltd., a U.K. startup using 39-foot-tall robots to make logistics warehouses more efficient, has secured $19 million in new funding.

Announced today, the Series A round was led by Atomico with participation from several returning investors. Among returning investors was the venture capital arm of logistics giant Maersk A/S. Maersk is also a customer.

Retailers decide when to order new merchandise from a supplier by checking product availability in their warehouses. If a certain product is low in stock, logistics teams purchase more. When buying merchandise, logistics professionals must also take into account how much free space is available in their company’s warehouses. 

Logistics teams collect information on merchandise and space availability in a warehouse by manually scanning its shelves using specialized handheld devices. According to Dexory, the task takes a significant amount of time and can be error-prone in some cases. The startup says it has developed a more efficient approach.

Dexory uses internally developed robots to scan warehouse shelves automatically and measure how much merchandise they hold. To reach goods located on high shelves, the startup’s robots can extend their height to 12 meters or about 39 feet. According to Dexory, its technology enables companies to perform warehouse scans up to 1,000 times faster than is possible with traditional approaches.

The robots use depth cameras and lidar devices to map out the goods in a company’s warehouses. Its machines’ sensors can detect not only large items such as pallets and parcels but also barcodes.

The robots send the data they collect to a cloud-based application called DexoryView. It generates a visualization of warehouse shelves that logistics teams can review to understand inventory availability.

The DexoryView interface displays high-level information such as what percentage of a shelf’s capacity is free, as well as more gradual data about the individual items it holds. A sidebar highlights products that are low in stock and other potential logistics issues. 

“For those operating warehouses, ensuring 100% fulfillment ‘in time, all the time’ is crucial to meeting the demands of the modern consumer,” said co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Andrei Danescu. “A critical component to achieving this is high stock accuracy.”

According to Dexory, its platform doubles as a digital twin tool. A digital twin is a kind of sophisticated simulation that can virtually replicate not only the core properties of an object, but also its current real-world status. A simulated production line, for example, might shut down if the real production line on which it’s based experiences a technical issue.

Using Dexory’s robots and software, a company can create a digital twin of its logistics warehouses. Logistics professionals can then use the digital twin to explore more efficient ways of placing merchandise on warehouse shelves. According to Dexory, the tool also lends itself to several other tasks including predicting customer demand.

The company will use the proceeds from its latest funding round to double its headcount by year’s end. The new employees will support Dexory’s efforts to grow its market presence in the U.S. and European Union. In conjunction, it intends to add more production capacity at the U.K. factory that manufactures its warehouse robots. 

Image: Dexory