Robotics company AutoStore announced that SoftBank has acquired 40% of its company. AutoStore currently has a global customer base with more than 600 installations and 20,000 robots across 35 countries. It delivers automated storage and retrieval systems, coupled with its proprietary software, to serve the increasing demands of today’s supply chains.
AutoStore claims their cubic design allows customers to either store four times the inventory in the same space, or all of their existing inventory in 25% of the space in a range of markets as diverse as e-commerce, grocery, industrial, and healthcare in any warehouse, retail location or other facility.
Cost effective
Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp. said: “We view AutoStore as a foundational technology that enables rapid and cost-effective logistics for companies around the globe. We look forward to working with AutoStore to aggressively expand across end markets and geographies.”
Karl Johan Lier, President & CEO of AutoStore, said: “We are delighted for SoftBank to join the AutoStore team as we continue on our journey to automate all commerce and deliver best-in-class automation solutions to our customers. Our world-class investor group brings exceptional experience from multiple geographies, and we are thrilled to have SoftBank’s leadership and support on a global scale, but particularly with our vision for growth in Asia-Pacific.”
Jim Carlisle, AutoStore’s Chairman of the Board and Managing Director at THL, and Mike Kaczmarek, Managing Director at THL, said: “We believe the SoftBank partnership, in support of Karl Johan and the fantastic team at AutoStore, will help accelerate growth and unlock AutoStore’s massive potential. We are thrilled to welcome SoftBank as our new partner and are very excited for what the future holds for AutoStore.”
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