TLD Robotics launches as ALVEST Group acquires EasyMile and TractEasy

TLD Robotics, an ALVEST company dedicated to autonomous ground operations, announced its launch.

Comprising EasyMile, TractEasy and TLD's driverless activities, the company said its launch marks a strategic milestone following ALVEST’s acquisition of technology leader EasyMile. TLD Robotics said that it brings together autonomous software, industrial vehicle capacity, deployment expertise and customer support in a single, integrated business built to deploy autonomous operations at scale.

Introducing TLD Robotics

Announced at the GSE Expo Europe, the companies said that the unified structure offers customers a dedicated partner that develops both the vehicles and software as one to plan, build, deploy and scale autonomous operations across airports and industrial sites worldwide.

TLD Robotics said that it operates under the ALVEST Group and brings together capabilities that previously existed across EasyMile and TLD, and were deployed commercially via the TractEasy joint venture. The new venture will be led by Richard Reno as CEO.

“When TLD and EasyMile began working together in 2017, autonomous GSE was still seen as a future concept,” Reno said. “We saw the opportunity in structured environments like airports and logistics hubs early and have turned that vision into a proven business. Since creating TractEasy three years ago, we have scaled tenfold. With TLD Robotics bringing the same vehicles, teams and proven deployment record under one name, backed by a strong industrial base, we now have the platform and ambition to scale another 10x over the coming years.”

The companies said that the launch follows almost a decade of collaboration between TLD and EasyMile. Together, they said that they saw an opportunity to advance beyond basic vehicle automation to fundamentally change how baggage, cargo and materials move across airports and industrial facilities.

They said that this vision has grown into more than 35 operations across 10 countries and more than 50,000 autonomous missions in real-world operations. Many of these sites now run 24/7, ensuring continuous operations. With its fleet tripling every year, TLD Robotics said that it is now more than a year ahead of previous projections, demonstrating the market’s accelerating shift toward autonomous technology.

TLD Robotics said that its customers include:

• Dnata
• BMW Group Dingolfing
• Daimler Truck AG
• Bosch
• John Deere
• Munich and Narita Airports
• Lufthansa Cargo

The company said that its global network of engineering, deployment and customer support teams provides local expertise across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

New capabilities from the new company

As the market matures, TLD Robotics said that customers are looking for more than testing. The company said that customers want a single partner capable of designing, deploying and supporting complete autonomous operations at scale. TLD Robotics said that every capability required to deliver autonomy at scale sits within one organization:

• Supervision software to optimize and coordinate autonomous missions at the fleet level, while managing the integration in the traffic and its environment. Benefiting from XOPS expertise, the supervision software is deeply integrated into the airport environment
• On-Board software to help each vehicle perceive, move and respond safely in real time.
• Purpose-built vehicle platforms, designed for demanding airport and industrial environments and fully integrated with the software to manage an integrated safety concept.
• Fleet & operation management to supervise, orchestrate and optimize live autonomous operations.
• Industrial manufacturing and service capabilities of TLD, the world's largest GSE manufacturer with 12 factories in 7 countries.
• Integrated R&D across software, hardware, supervision & fleet management and next-generation autonomous technologies.

TLD Robotics is ready for the next phase

TLD Robotics said that its launch reflects the evolution of the autonomous vehicle market. Over the past decade, the company said that autonomous technology has progressed from early demonstrations to commercial deployments, while airports and industrial operators have placed greater emphasis on improving safety, addressing labor shortages and increasing operational efficiency.

“Automation is the future of our business,” said Valentin Schmitt, president & CEO of ALVEST. “Every operator we work with faces the same pressures: safety, labor availability, cost and decarbonization. Autonomy addresses them all and is a natural extension of our Leaner & Greener strategy. ALVEST brings the long-term ambition, industrial strength and financial capacity to deploy at scale. Our customers are not buying a pilot; they are investing in decades of operations - and that is the timeframe ALVEST is built for.”

TLD Robotics said that it will maintain and execute all business engagements and deployments previously attributed to the TractEasy name.