The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Automation firm to double staff in major investment
Afood packing firm headquartered in Aberdeen, Leap Automation, is planning to double in size following a seven-figure cash injection.
The company, which specialises in AI-enabled robotics for food companies, said the move will help combat labour shortages in the sector.
The Altens-based firm has received a significant round of investment from Alba Equity and Scottish Enterprise but the exact sum has not been disclosed.
However, the firm did say total funding has now been brought to £3 million over the past 18 months.
It now plans to consolidate its work in the food-packing automation sector by increasing its team of 21 to 42 staff and strengthening its production, product development and support capability.
Leap was founded in 2018 by Ben Bamford and Ben Stuart following careers developing and commercialising technology solutions for the energy sector.
Having developed the underlying code base and robotic technology over the past three years, the duo are now focused on helping the food sector address a critical labour and efficiency challenge.
Its team includes robotics engineers, machinelearning specialists, software developers, 3D printing and data specialists.
Chief executive Mr Bamford said: “Our customers are facing tough times with labour shortages and cost inflation.
“Our AI-enabled robots are helping to solve these challenges from our bases in Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
“The capital we have raised will help us expand the team and our facilities and enable us to scale up and deliver to a wider range of customers,” added Mr Bamford.
Leap designs and builds robotic systems while developing its own software, providing a more cost-effective option for automation.
Following the launch of its first product earlier this year, the PikPak solution, Leap said it is working with a major international food conglomerate and one of Europe’s biggest fresh food producers to roll out systems.
It is capable of packing a range of products at effective speeds and is compatible with trays and boxes including those used by all key supermarkets and online retailers.
Further product development is in progress to deliver enhanced quality control, advanced data analytics, increased efficiency and faster, simpler deployment.
Leap chief operating officer and head of product Ben Stuart said: “We want to unlock the market by providing intuitive, simple to use, robotic systems with economics that work for producers of any scale.”
Aberdeen-based Alba Equity, founded in 2019, has so far backed eight companies, four of which are based in the north-east, including Leap, its first robotics investment.
Co-founder Jock Gardiner said: “To be able to pivot the robotic technology and expertise that they have developed originally for the energy sector to the food industry due to market demand and customer-driven opportunities is visionary.
“Alba takes particular pride in supporting northeast Scotland-based growth businesses such as Leap Automation.”
Kerry Sharp, director of entrepreneurship at Scottish Enterprise, said: “It is an exciting period of expansion for the company that will have wider benefits for SME food manufacturers in automating processes and improving logistics in Scotland and beyond.”