Attabotics’ all-in-one automated fulfillment system is condensed into a single vertical structure, using robotic shuttles to pick goods and then deliver to workers.
Attabotics, a 3-D robotics supply chain company, has raised $71.7 million in new funding to continue its push into automatizing warehouses.
The Series C round, led by Export Development Canada and with participation from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, brings the company’s total funding to $165.1 million. Forerunner Ventures, Coatue and Honeywell are among the companies that have previously invested.
The raise comes amid the push to further optimize shipping fulfillment and warehouse technology as e-commerce continues to grow.
Earlier this month, Amazon unveiled “Sparrow,” a robotic arm that can pluck millions of items of varying shapes and sizes using computer vision and artificial intelligence to move packages before they’re packed. Amazon has steadily added to its fleet of warehouse robots since it acquired Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012, which has now become Amazon Robotics, the company’s in-house incubator of robotic fulfillment systems.
In June, Amazon unveiled its first fully autonomous robot that can operate alongside warehouse workers, in addition to other systems that can sort and move packages. It also acquired Cloostermans in September, which develops warehouse machinery and robotics. About 75% of the five billion packages processed by Amazon annually are handled by robots in at least one part of the delivery process, the company has said.
Attabotics’ all-in-one automated fulfillment system, which is condensed into a single vertical structure, uses robotic shuttles to pick goods that are then presented to workers on the outside perimeter. The company launched the first commercialized version of its proprietary robot in September, and partners have grown to include Pan Pacific Pet, Modern Beauty Supplies, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The size of the Attabotics’ system, which it says reduces warehouse space by 85% and requires just 20% of the workforce that traditional fulfillment centers need, is also key to the need to have fulfillment centers closer to major metropolitan areas, crucial for quick delivery.
“Creating the software and hardware needed to solve the global supply chain problem is a massive undertaking but this new funding, along with the support from our investors and team, will allow us to scale our technology and double down on our commitment to implementing the most advanced fulfillment technology on the market,” Scott Gravelle, founder and CEO of Attabotics, said in a statement.
Attabotics was ranked No. 38 on the 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.
Disclosure: Comcast Ventures, a division of CNBC parent company Comcast, is an investor in Attabotics.
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