Software technology companies Unikie and Promotives have together created a new player in the global Automated Valet Parking (AVP) market. Unikie has made a business transfer agreement with Promotives enabling the global offering of complete Type-2 AVP Solutions to the market. The solution has already been tested by leading OEM’s and there is an active customer collaboration operation ongoing in Turku Exhibition Center, Finland.
Unikie aims to become a leading global player in this field. Adopting and combining Unikie’s solutions for automated mining trucks, wood-harvesting machines and other special vehicles together with its development history for autonomous vehicles with automotive OEM’s, Unikie and Promotives are best prepared to address this market.
“Combining our unique realtime 3D situational awareness technology AI VISION with Promotives technology, Unikie is perfectly prepared to deliver end to end autonomous driving solutions to the AVP market and various industrial applications”, explains Vesa Kiviranta, Senior Vice President, Automotive & Intelligent Vehicles at Unikie and continues: “Promotives’ Control HUB and HD-Maps are already established for many use cases in the market. Many OEM’s and suppliers trust the high quality, precision and flexibility”
The key executives of Promotives will create a strong alliance with Unikie.
“Together with Unikie and with our deep understanding of the automotive industry, our experience with new businesses in mobility services and our excellent skills in ADAS and software development we are best prepared to become one of the leading global AVP-Providers”, promises Joachim Hauser, one of the founders of Promotives who has a long career with BMW.
Unikie’s technology enables autonomous driving
Unikie has been actively working in Germany for the last three years. The main focus has been software development for top OEM’s and TIER1’s in the automotive industry. Unikie’s technology enables autonomous driving in the AVP market and in gated industrial areas. At the car factory, as an example, it can handle the parking of newly completed cars in the storage area, increase logistics efficiency and provide quick ROI for an Automotive OEM.
”Automated valet parking will be a promising business for both AVP providers, OEM’s and parking garage operators. Beyond that, the automation of logistically motivated driving on business grounds is a key market for us. Businesses, such as OEM plants, car-logistics companies, rental car companies and big fleets are able to reduce costs and increase efficiency by having cars driven automatically on their business grounds.” explains Joachim Hauser.
Promotives Solution consists of the ControlHub (Traffic Management) for automated parking areas and includes HD mapping, 3D modelling and simulation. Promotives has been developing the solution in close cooperation with top German OEM’s since 2016. In 2017 Promotives demonstrated how autonomously parking cars are managed by the ControlHub traffic management system, utilizing precise HD maps. Promotives was part of Vodafone’s innovation days in the Düsseldorf headquarters, presenting its cloud-based solution, working in a Vodafone LTE environment.
The combination of Unikie and Promotives also paves the way for exiting new solutions within the logistics and transport industry.
“Multifold use cases in truck and car logistics are waiting for automation, saving driver costs and increasing reliability and precision of in time processes”, emphasizes Frank Thurmann, one of the Promotives’ founders. He will help position Unikie in the global logistics value chain with focus on vehicle traffic automation within gated areas.
Unikie will be one of the future key players in the AVP market
The five-year-old Finland-based software technology company has grown fast. In 2019, Unikie’s turnover was €26.9 million and the estimated turnover for 2020 is €35 million. Today Unikie employs more than 300 highly skilled software engineers. The company’s next goal is to achieve a turnover of €100 million by positioning itself as a key player in the automotive market.
“With AVP, entering the market in the coming years, we will see the first series cars, driving automated on level 4”, explains Esko Mertsalmi, CEO of Unikie.
“As standards and legislation are on their way, it is now important for us to position ourselves as one of the future key players in the AVP market. Therefore, we joined forces and are investing in industry ready and scalable AVP solutions. Being profitable from day one we have already been able to invest over ten million euros in our technology development. The latest funding totals the additional capital to 19 million euros. This adds €12 million raised from CapMan Growth and Tesi to an equity instrument from Business Finland”, Mertsalmi continues.
Earlier this year Unikie bought a software development company Boftel from Poland to strengthen its near shore engineering capabilities offered to local customers.
