Morganville-based Human Friendly Robotics (HFR) announced Oct. 6 a three-year robotic tiling contract worth up to $4 million with commercial subcontractor Flooring Concepts of NJ of Manalapan.
HFR will deploy its Tyler robots alongside Flooring Concepts’ installers across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the greater New York City metropolitan area.
A contract of this size for robotically installed flooring is considered significant. The installation capacity purchased represents at least 15%-40% of Flooring Concepts’ LVT (luxury vinyl tile) tiling work over the next three years. HFR’s autonomous tiling robot, Tyler, is helping accelerate commercial flooring buildouts.
Tyler handles repetitive placement while installers retain responsibility for cuts, edges, finishing and quality control. With training, tile setters can operate Tyler without a robotics background.
The robot maintains production as workers tire toward the end of a shift and supports overnight or around-the-clock installation through staffed shifts where conditions permit. Operating Tyler also gives experienced tradespeople a less physically taxing way to apply their skills.
“Tyler multiplies a tile setter’s efficiency and output,” said Shamoon Siddiqui, CEO of Human Friendly Robotics. “Our customers have more work than their crews can fulfill. We give skilled professionals a tool to complete their work eight times faster, and without tiring. Ultimately, we’re reducing physical strain and helping tile setters build longer careers in the trade.”
The agreement follows Starnet Commercial Flooring’s recent announcement welcoming HFR as its robotics service provider. Their nearly 200 member subcontractors represent $4 billion or more in combined annual sales.
Led by President John Pilot, Flooring Concepts is pioneering the adoption of robotic assistance across a substantial volume of commercial flooring work. Pilot and his crew have worked closely with the HFR team on various deployments with great success.
“Growing our business starts with supporting our people,” said Pilot. “Tyler will help us expand capacity, improve scheduling and reduce some of the hardest physical demands on our crews. Thankfully, I can just pay per square foot of install instead of purchasing the equipment. It’s an investment in our workforce and our customers without undue capital expenditures.”
An aging workforce and persistent recruiting challenges constrain installation capacity. In September 2026, Associated General Contractors of America and NCCER reported that 42% of surveyed construction firms experienced project delays because of worker shortages.
According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 97,000 flooring installers and tile and stone setters in 2025, with median pay at $54,390 per year. Job growth is projected to be 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,400 openings per year, largely driven by replacement needs.
Flooring Concepts reports that its pipeline already includes significant work scheduled for 2028. Tyler helps existing crews address that demand with greater output and more predictable schedules.
HFR reports that Tyler has already been deployed to dozens of job sites in the New York City metropolitan area and Puerto Rico, including schools, malls and government buildings. The Flooring Concepts agreement turns that field experience into a sustained commercial commitment.