Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Vecna Robotics adds another $40 million in venture backing

Complete “series C” round totals $100 million in backing as company plans to develop new robots for tasks in warehousing and distribution.

vecna Screenshot 2024-06-20 at 2.31.28 PM.png

Material handling automation vendor Vecna Robotics has raised another $40 million in venture funding to fuel its plans to expand ground-to-ground and low-lift workflow capabilities and develop of new robots for tasks in warehousing and distribution, the Waltham, Massachusetts company said today.

Today’s news marks the closing of the firm’s “series C” fundraising round, which had previously collected $65 million in backing, announced in 2022. That complete round now totals some $100 million, and nearly doubles the company’s valuation from its previous round. The fresh funds came from the investors Tiger Global Management, Proficio Capital Partners, and IMPULSE.


The cash infusion will be used to fund new workflow-specific innovations that enable the company to deliver rapid ROI to cost conscious warehouse operators served by the $165 billion pallet-moving autonomy market, Vecna said. Over the past year, the company said it has combined cloud software updates and investments in its Pivotal Command Center to help customers like GEODIS, FedEx, Caterpillar, and Shape to realize upwards of 70% performance improvements in ground-to-ground warehouse workflows like case picking, packaging, and cross-docking.

In an independent announcement, Vecna also named a new chief operating officer, saying Michael Helmbrecht would help support its planned rapid expansion. Following experience at Dell, Lifesize, and Ring Central, the new executive will oversee operations, manufacturing, IT, product, and customer success.

 

 

 

 

 

The Latest

More Stories

power outage map after hurricane

Southeast region still hindered by hurricane power outages

States across the Southeast woke up today to find that the immediate weather impacts from Hurricane Helene are done, but the impacts to people, businesses, and the supply chain continue to be a major headache, according to Everstream Analytics.

The primary problem is the collection of massive power outages caused by the storm’s punishing winds and rainfall, now affecting some 2 million customers across the Southeast region of the U.S.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Survey: In-store shopping sentiment up 21%

Survey: In-store shopping sentiment up 21%

E-commerce activity remains robust, but a growing number of consumers are reintegrating physical stores into their shopping journeys in 2024, emphasizing the need for retailers to focus on omnichannel business strategies. That’s according to an e-commerce study from Ryder System, Inc., released this week.

Ryder surveyed more than 1,300 consumers for its 2024 E-Commerce Consumer Study and found that 61% of consumers shop in-store “because they enjoy the experience,” a 21% increase compared to results from Ryder’s 2023 survey on the same subject. The current survey also found that 35% shop in-store because they don’t want to wait for online orders in the mail (up 4% from last year), and 15% say they shop in-store to avoid package theft (up 8% from last year).

Keep ReadingShow less
containers stacked in a yard

Reinke moves from TIA to IANA in top office

Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.

Reinke will take her new job upon the retirement of Joni Casey at the end of the year. Casey had announced in July that she would step down after 27 years at the helm of IANA.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dock strike: Shippers seek ways to minimize the damage

Dock strike: Shippers seek ways to minimize the damage

As the hours tick down toward a “seemingly imminent” strike by East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers, experts are warning that the impacts of that move would mushroom well-beyond the actual strike locations, causing prevalent shipping delays, container ship congestion, port congestion on West coast ports, and stranded freight.

However, a strike now seems “nearly unavoidable,” as no bargaining sessions are scheduled prior to the September 30 contract expiration between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) in their negotiations over wages and automation, according to the transportation law firm Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wreaths Across America seeks carriers for December mission
Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America seeks carriers for December mission

National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.

“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”

Keep ReadingShow less