Vanderlande takes minority stake in Smart Robotics

In a statement issued yesterday (20 November), Vanderlande said: “The investment will create a focus on robotic technology development for logistic purposes, through a joint research and development (R&D) multi-year programme, and commitment through co-ownership.”

Founded in 2015 as a spin-off of the Eindhoven University of Technology, Smart Robotics develops, sells and rents modular collaborative robots (or ‘cobots’) that can be configured for specific tasks. Its solutions are used for a variety of processes such as order picking and placing, (de)palletising, and kitting and bagging.

According to Vanderlande: “The partnership between Vanderlande and Smart Robotics will see the creation of a mutually beneficial roadmap through a joint R&D programme. A key development area will be item picking capabilities so as to further strengthen e-commerce warehousing solutions.”