Takeover of autonomous mobile robot manufacturer

On July 19, ABB signed a purchase agreement for the ASTI Mobile Robotics Group, the Zurich technology group writes in a press release. The takeover of the Spanish AMR manufacturer will expand ABB’s portfolio in the area of robotics and machine automation solutions. The partners agreed not to disclose any details regarding the purchase price.  

“With their industry-leading portfolio, comprehensive suite of software and deep domain expertise across growth segments, ASTI is the perfect choice for us as we support our customers with the next generation of flexible automation”, comments Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business, in the press release. “With this acquisition, ABB will be the only company to offer a full automation portfolio of AMRs, robots and machine automation solutions, from production to logistics to point of consumption”, he adds.

The Zurich technology group is now planning to establish a business unit for AMR at the headquarters of ASTI in Burgos. It is to be headed up by the current majority shareholder and CEO of ASTI, Veronica Pascual Boé, ABB explains further in the press release. The vision shared by the partner firms here is to replace linear production lines with fully flexible networks.

At the new robotics factory in Shanghai, which is still under construction, ABB is also planning to establish an AMR hub, which is designed to tap into the growth potential offered by this market in China and across Asia as a whole, ABB writes. According to the company, the AMR market in China is expected to be worth 1.8 billion US dollars per year by 2025.