Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) vendor Geek+ will provide more than 100 robots for an online retailer in Australia through a deal with its integrating partner Körber, the firms said today.
The sale shows the global reach of the hot AMR sector, spanning from Beijing, China-based Geek+, which has its U.S. offices in San Diego, to Germany’s Korber and their newest customer, Bentleigh East, Victoria-based Catch.com.au.
It also shows how quickly the sector is evolving, since Geek+ and Korber announced their partnership just three months ago, saying in August that they planned to grow their presence together in the warehouse automation sector. Part of that fast growth is driven by strong financial backing, following Geek+’s announcement in June that it had collected a $200 million venture capital round, following a $150 million round in 2018.
The latest deal comes as Catch.com.au says the prevalence of Covid-19 has driven more and more consumers online, pushing the retailer expand its catalog with thousands of additional stock-keeping units (SKUs) to serve its rapidly growing customer base. Later this month, more than 100 Geek+ AMRs will operate 41,000 square feet of allocated space within Catch.com.au’s 323,000 square foot facility. By supporting them with the ability to pick an additional 2,000 orders per hour, Catch.com.au will be able to manage an additional 80,000 SKUs over and above its existing range and move one step closer to its aim of offering same-day delivery.
“This investment is a significant step for Catch.com.au in its move to offer faster and more convenient fulfilment options for its increasing customer base,” Richard Whetton, head of fulfilment at catch.com.au, said in a release. “We are excited to see where this technology deployment takes us and to seek out further opportunities where we can utilize this kind of agile and flexible technology.”
