Coventry-based Fanuc UK has underlined its commitment to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robotic waste-picking company Recycleye by extending its exclusive UK deal with the tech innovator, as well as internationally recognising its achievements at the Fanuc Global Partner Awards. The event, which took place in Japan in November 2023, saw Recycleye win one of seven Global Partner Awards for Innovation.

In further evidence of Fanuc’s faith in Recycleye’s technology, the two companies have recently extended their exclusivity agreement, meaning that Recycleye remains the only UK company that Fanuc UK supplies to for recycling applications. Recycleye will also continue to benefit from a commercial and technical partnership with Fanuc throughout its current phase of growth and development.

Founded in London in 2019 with just four members of staff, Recycleye now employs over 50 people and is the European leader in AI/robotic waste-picking technology. It has an installed base of more than 25 systems situated around the UK, in Ireland, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, where its technology is helping to revolutionise the waste sector by automating the detection and sorting of mixed recyclables. Fanuc has been instrumental to the company’s rapid success since day one, working closely as a strategic partner to de-risk Recycleye’s offering to the market.

Combining its proprietary AI vision technology with Fanuc six-axis LR Mate robots, the Recycleye Robotics system increases sorting accuracy by up to 12% and improves line output by up to 10%, helping waste operators to boost their bottom line and providing a solution to ongoing labour shortages in the waste management industry. At the Fanuc Global Partner Awards ceremony, the company was praised for its commitment to innovation, moving from a start-up business to a recognised leader in AI waste sortation in just four years. The judging panel also praised the ability of the Recycleye system to be rapidly retrofitted into existing waste facilities.

The Global Partner Award for Innovation was presented to Peter Hedley, chief technical officer and co-founder of Recycleye, by Dr Kiyonori Inaba, Fanuc’s executive vice president and general manager — robot business division. Mr Hedley said: “We are extremely proud of this recognition, especially as the award was open to Fanuc partners from around the world. Fanuc has been by our side since the start of our journey and we look forward to growing further together, offering materials recycling facilities an automated alternative to traditional sorting methods and helping to future-proof their business.”

Oliver Selby is Fanuc UK’s head of sales and has seen first-hand the impact that Recycleye is making on the waste industry. He said: “By combining Fanuc’s LR Mate robots and iRPickTool visual line tracking technology with their proprietary AI-driven vision system, the Recycleye Robotics system improves sorting accuracy and increases purity, also helping to alleviate labour shortages in the waste sector. Our commitment to this partnership is as strong as it’s ever been, which is why Fanuc is delighted to re-sign an exclusivity deal with Recycleye.”