Stow Robotics, stow Group’s warehouse automation business unit, has acquired a majority stake in iFollow SAS, a collaborative autonomous mobile robot company.
Reinforcing stow’s commitment to warehouse automation, stow Robotics was launched in September 2021, regrouping all existing automated solutions for pallets and totes and related services and teams. Through this newly created and dedicated business unit, stow is building a platform of scalable and innovative automated solutions and continues to invest in ground-breaking technologies such as iFollow’s robot and software offering.
iFollow, founded in March 2017, is a Paris-based robotics company developing and commercialising market-leading autonomous mobile robots and a proprietary software suite. Its present fleet of cutting-edge AMRs and software are suited for a large range of use-cases, such as collaborative picking and in-and-outbound transport. iFollow is currently accelerating the commercialisation and deployment of its AMRs, having already deployed its technology in a wide variety of applications across different industries and building on a promising pipeline.
The acquisition of iFollow is backed by funds managed by Blackstone, stow Group’s majority shareholder. The partnership with iFollow’s management, who remain on board, strengthens and builds on stow Robotics’ clear strategy and leading position in the global warehouse automation market.
Jos De Vuyst, CEO of stow Group, said: “We are thrilled to welcome iFollow to stow Robotics and have been impressed by the entire iFollow team. This is another important milestone for stow Robotics, adding a company that fits perfectly within our portfolio of scalable automation solutions. We truly believe this partnership will unlock significant synergies with our Atlas 2D pallet solution, as well as meaningfully accelerate iFollow’s growth through our commercial network. iFollow shares in our vision for the future and provides the perfect platform for further AMR-based solutions.”
Vincent Jacquemart, co-founder and CEO of iFollow, said: “We are delighted to join forces with stow Robotics, a leader in warehouse automation. We firmly believe this is the right partnership to start iFollow’s next phase of long-term growth, with a reliable, global partner. In addition to its commercial traction, technology-driven approach, and its advanced industrial base, we share with stow the same conviction on the importance of technology in warehouse automation and the future of intralogistics. It’s a very exciting moment for our team, which is looking forward to shaping the industry even further.”
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