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One Equity Partners buys controlling stake in Comau

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One Equity Partners, a middle market private equity firm, has completed a majority investment in Comau, making Stellantis – one of the world’s largest automakers and the previous owner of Comau – an active minority shareholder.

Comau is a global technology company specializing in industrial automation and advanced robotics.

As previously communicated, Comau’s executive chairman Alessandro Nasi, and CEO Pietro Gorlier will continue leading the company and its future growth. The executive management team will also retain their current positions. [Read more…] about One Equity Partners buys controlling stake in Comau

Aerones raises $30 million to develop wind turbine maintenance robot

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Aerones, a Latvia-based company specializing in robot-enabled wind turbine maintenance and inspection, has secured $30 million in growth capital to scale its business globally.

The capital will be used to help the Company meet surging demand in a market which is expected to reach $50 billion in value by 2028.

The funding round was co-led by Lightrock, the global growth equity investor, and Haniel, the European family-owned purpose-driven investor. [Read more…] about Aerones raises $30 million to develop wind turbine maintenance robot

Autonomous truck startup Einride raises $500 million in new funding

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Autonomous electric truck startup Einride has secured $500 million in financing, including both a Series C equity raise and a debt facility.

The debt financing, which is the largest asset-backed facility to date for heavy-duty electric vehicles, will provide transformative funding for Einride’s fleet of electric vehicles across the world.

The Series C provides a next step in the funding of new developments and deployments across Einride’s autonomous and digital offerings, as well as expanding Einride’s offerings to new markets and clients. [Read more…] about Autonomous truck startup Einride raises $500 million in new funding

Veo Robotics named in CB Insights’ advanced manufacturing top 50

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Business research website CB Insights has named Veo Robotics, the Waltham-based industrial automation company building sensing and intelligence for robots to collaborate with humans safely, to its first-annual Advanced Manufacturing 50 ranking, showcasing the 50 most promising private advanced manufacturing companies in the world.

Founded by Patrick Sobalvarro, Clara Vu, and Scott Denenberg, Veo has pioneered the creation of software and hardware that allow for fluid, efficient, and flexible production lines within manufacturing facilities.

Also making the list within the robotics and collaborative robots category were Rokae, Novarc Technologies, Linkwiz, Exotic, and Locus Robotics. [Read more…] about Veo Robotics named in CB Insights’ advanced manufacturing top 50

Abundant Robots launches to help farmers streamline harvesting process

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Abundant Robots, a startup automating the apple harvesting process to deliver high-quality produce to consumers, has launched to raise up to $20 million in seed capital via equity crowdfunding site WAX.

The launch comes just weeks after the corporate innovation venture studio and startup incubator Wavemaker Labs Asia (agtech-focused division of Wavemaker Labs’ overall brand) purchased Abundant Robotics’ intellectual property.

This acquisition is part of Wavermaker Labs’ larger strategy to bring intelligent automation solutions to market and help shape a future of food that is more efficient and sustainable, and is filled with prosperity, thoughtful sourcing and improved food quality from seed to fork. [Read more…] about Abundant Robots launches to help farmers streamline harvesting process

Alibaba increases stake in Cainiao by $3.3 billion

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Alibaba, the world’s largest e-commerce company, has increased its equity stake in Cainiao, a provider of automated logistics systems. The two companies have been partners for some time and last year opened what was reported to be the largest robot-operated warehouse in China. 

The additional investment in Cainiao Smart Logistics Network totals RMB23.3 billion (US$3.3 billion) and increases Alibaba’s equity from approximately 51 per cent to approximately 63 per cent.

The investment method used involved subscribing for newly issued Cainiao ordinary shares in its latest financing round and purchasing certain equity interest from an existing Cainiao shareholder. [Read more…] about Alibaba increases stake in Cainiao by $3.3 billion

Mitsubishi Electric takes a stake in Realtime Robotics

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Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has taken an equity stake in Realtime Robotics, Inc. a U.S. technology startup that develops and commercialises motion-planning technologies.

Motion planning is the process of calculating and determining the optimised path that a robot should take to reach a goal without colliding with any obstacle. Realtime Robotics’ motion path planning solution performs the necessary calculations in real time.

Funding by Mitsubishi Electric is expected to accelerate the development of industrial robot systems offering enhanced safety and performance.

[Read more…] about Mitsubishi Electric takes a stake in Realtime Robotics