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Month: January 2023

UniCarriers Rebrands to Mitsubishi Forklifts

Posted on by David Priestman

Logisnext UK Ltd is delighted to announce that the brand UniCarriers is now replaced in the UK by Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks. This change is part of the European strategy of the company’s owner, Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe (MLE).

Since the acquisition of UniCarriers Corporation Ltd. back in 2017, Mitsubishi Logisnext Group has applied the strategy of ensuring that all wholly owned subsidiaries are taking Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks branded products to market in Europe. This project started in April 2021 and has reached completion with the UK subsidiary (Logisnext UK Ltd) rebranding on the 1st of January 2023.

Rebrand announced following business merger

The Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks brand has been available in the UK since the 1970s, supplied by an established dealer network. In January 2023 this supply chain is now enhanced by the introduction of the direct to customer organisation with the re-branding of the UniCarriers business. Since the independent dealer network and the direct sales operation have been serving complementary customer segments, we emphasise that customer communication will largely remain unchanged other than a change in brand. Together, these two routes to market aim to increase the Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks market share by providing tailored customer handling and service solutions.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks supply materials handling products for logistics and warehousing, designed and manufactured at the group’s production facilities in Sweden, Spain, Finland, PRC and Japan. Consequently, our spread of customers is involved in storage and distribution warehousing as well as manufacturing with interests that include the production of food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, metal & automotive and the building industry.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is a brand of Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe (MLE). MLE is an international, multi-brand material handling solution provider operating through an extensive network of owned and independent sales network. MLE is part of the global Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. Ltd (ML), based in Kyoto, Japan.

ML is the world’s fourth-largest industrial truck manufacturer, present in over 100 countries, with 11,000 employees and total sales of around £2,777 million GBP (As of March 2022). It is a component of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group — a world leader in manufacturing dedicated to continuing progress through technological advancement. Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is synonymous with quality, reliability, and value for money. Through innovative design and state-of-the-art materials handling technology, we set a standard that defines everything we do.

UniCarriers Rebrands to Mitsubishi Forklifts

Posted on by David Priestman

Logisnext UK Ltd is delighted to announce that the brand UniCarriers is now replaced in the UK by Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks. This change is part of the European strategy of the company’s owner, Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe (MLE).

Since the acquisition of UniCarriers Corporation Ltd. back in 2017, Mitsubishi Logisnext Group has applied the strategy of ensuring that all wholly owned subsidiaries are taking Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks branded products to market in Europe. This project started in April 2021 and has reached completion with the UK subsidiary (Logisnext UK Ltd) rebranding on the 1st of January 2023.

Rebrand announced following business merger

The Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks brand has been available in the UK since the 1970s, supplied by an established dealer network. In January 2023 this supply chain is now enhanced by the introduction of the direct to customer organisation with the re-branding of the UniCarriers business. Since the independent dealer network and the direct sales operation have been serving complementary customer segments, we emphasise that customer communication will largely remain unchanged other than a change in brand. Together, these two routes to market aim to increase the Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks market share by providing tailored customer handling and service solutions.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks supply materials handling products for logistics and warehousing, designed and manufactured at the group’s production facilities in Sweden, Spain, Finland, PRC and Japan. Consequently, our spread of customers is involved in storage and distribution warehousing as well as manufacturing with interests that include the production of food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, metal & automotive and the building industry.

Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is a brand of Mitsubishi Logisnext Europe (MLE). MLE is an international, multi-brand material handling solution provider operating through an extensive network of owned and independent sales network. MLE is part of the global Mitsubishi Logisnext Co. Ltd (ML), based in Kyoto, Japan.

ML is the world’s fourth-largest industrial truck manufacturer, present in over 100 countries, with 11,000 employees and total sales of around £2,777 million GBP (As of March 2022). It is a component of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group — a world leader in manufacturing dedicated to continuing progress through technological advancement. Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is synonymous with quality, reliability, and value for money. Through innovative design and state-of-the-art materials handling technology, we set a standard that defines everything we do.

Less than Container Load Investment

Posted on by David Priestman

Venture capitalists Northstar, and Allcargo Group, a less than container load (LCL) consolidator and India’s leading logistics provider, have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly explore investments in the supply chain technology space.

A partnership of complementary skillsets

The two companies will leverage each other’s complementary sector expertise to maximise opportunities within this growing market sector. Allcargo has recently embarked upon a new digital investment strategy in order to further strengthen its position as a truly digital multinational logistics organisation with unparalleled service delivery capabilities. As part of this, its subsidiary ECU Worldwide, a leading international cargo and air freight logistics company, launched digital platform ECU360 in 2018 in order to offer shippers and freight forwarders key features including quick quotes, instant bookings for door-to-door deliveries in over 50 markets, and advanced track and trace. ECU360 already captures 60 percent of all bookings worldwide.

Meanwhile, Northstar.vc, established in 2019, is an experienced LogTech investor, with a strong track record supporting management teams at leading supply chain technology firms, such as Project44, Beacon, and Trackonomy Systems, with capital and strategic value-add.

Earlier this year, Northstar.vc and Allcargo made their maiden co-investment in Stord, the leading US cloud supply chain provider that enables companies to intelligently orchestrate, scale, and optimise all aspects of their supply chains – including warehousing, freight and fulfilment – from a single connected platform. Stord is already a market leader, partnering with brands like BODYARMOR, Dollar General, Native, Thrasio, and more. This investment was part of Stord’s Series D round, bringing Stord’s total funding to $325M, as Stord continues to help brands combat ongoing supply chain challenges.

Significant market opportunity for supply chain technology

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragmentation and rigidity of traditional supply chains, and disruptions continue to impact the global economy. There is a clear need for technology that can solve the problem: according to a recent McKinsey report, 90% of supply chain executives expect to overhaul their supply chain planning IT within the next five years. With an estimated revenue of $20.24 billion in 2022, supply chain management (SCM) is the fastest growing market in the Gartner enterprise application software segment and is expected to reach a value of $35.65 billion by 2026.

Amir Karimpour, Managing Partner at Northstar.vc said: “It is an honour to partner with the global leader in LCL and India’s largest logistics provider, Allcargo Group. Together, we are doubling down on our core investment thesis and capitalising on the current volatility and challenges of global supply chains. We look forward to jointly executing our pipeline of LogTech investments, empowering businesses to widen margins and boost operational efficiencies.”

Vaishnav Shetty, Chief Digital Officer at Allcargo Group, said: “We are delighted to formalise our strategic partnership with Northstar.vc through our co-investment in Stord. We look forward to leveraging Northstar.vc’s network as we accelerate our internal digitisation efforts to align our cultural mindset with the expectations of our global clients.”

Allcargo Logistics Limited, part of The Allcargo Group, is a global leader in multimodal logistics solutions. Allcargo Belgium NV., Operating ECU Worldwide network, is a global market leader in ocean freight consolidation. Allcargo is the market leader in Container Freight Station business in India and is among the leaders in express logistics through subsidiary Gati Ltd., besides having strong presence in Contract Logistics and other businesses. Allcargo is recognised for digitising logistics industry, setting highest quality standards, operational excellence, and customer-centricity across all businesses. The company is recognised as a great place to work.

 

Less than Container Load Investment

Posted on by David Priestman

Venture capitalists Northstar, and Allcargo Group, a less than container load (LCL) consolidator and India’s leading logistics provider, have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly explore investments in the supply chain technology space.

A partnership of complementary skillsets

The two companies will leverage each other’s complementary sector expertise to maximise opportunities within this growing market sector. Allcargo has recently embarked upon a new digital investment strategy in order to further strengthen its position as a truly digital multinational logistics organisation with unparalleled service delivery capabilities. As part of this, its subsidiary ECU Worldwide, a leading international cargo and air freight logistics company, launched digital platform ECU360 in 2018 in order to offer shippers and freight forwarders key features including quick quotes, instant bookings for door-to-door deliveries in over 50 markets, and advanced track and trace. ECU360 already captures 60 percent of all bookings worldwide.

Meanwhile, Northstar.vc, established in 2019, is an experienced LogTech investor, with a strong track record supporting management teams at leading supply chain technology firms, such as Project44, Beacon, and Trackonomy Systems, with capital and strategic value-add.

Earlier this year, Northstar.vc and Allcargo made their maiden co-investment in Stord, the leading US cloud supply chain provider that enables companies to intelligently orchestrate, scale, and optimise all aspects of their supply chains – including warehousing, freight and fulfilment – from a single connected platform. Stord is already a market leader, partnering with brands like BODYARMOR, Dollar General, Native, Thrasio, and more. This investment was part of Stord’s Series D round, bringing Stord’s total funding to $325M, as Stord continues to help brands combat ongoing supply chain challenges.

Significant market opportunity for supply chain technology

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragmentation and rigidity of traditional supply chains, and disruptions continue to impact the global economy. There is a clear need for technology that can solve the problem: according to a recent McKinsey report, 90% of supply chain executives expect to overhaul their supply chain planning IT within the next five years. With an estimated revenue of $20.24 billion in 2022, supply chain management (SCM) is the fastest growing market in the Gartner enterprise application software segment and is expected to reach a value of $35.65 billion by 2026.

Amir Karimpour, Managing Partner at Northstar.vc said: “It is an honour to partner with the global leader in LCL and India’s largest logistics provider, Allcargo Group. Together, we are doubling down on our core investment thesis and capitalising on the current volatility and challenges of global supply chains. We look forward to jointly executing our pipeline of LogTech investments, empowering businesses to widen margins and boost operational efficiencies.”

Vaishnav Shetty, Chief Digital Officer at Allcargo Group, said: “We are delighted to formalise our strategic partnership with Northstar.vc through our co-investment in Stord. We look forward to leveraging Northstar.vc’s network as we accelerate our internal digitisation efforts to align our cultural mindset with the expectations of our global clients.”

Allcargo Logistics Limited, part of The Allcargo Group, is a global leader in multimodal logistics solutions. Allcargo Belgium NV., Operating ECU Worldwide network, is a global market leader in ocean freight consolidation. Allcargo is the market leader in Container Freight Station business in India and is among the leaders in express logistics through subsidiary Gati Ltd., besides having strong presence in Contract Logistics and other businesses. Allcargo is recognised for digitising logistics industry, setting highest quality standards, operational excellence, and customer-centricity across all businesses. The company is recognised as a great place to work.

 

Port of Liverpool has Logistics Potential

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The Port of Liverpool has been ranked as the UK’s top port for port-centric logistics potential in a new industry study. Property adviser Knight Frank analysed and ranked 41 UK ports based on 13 criteria, assessing their potential for future logistics investment and development, in its latest Future Gazing report.

The Port of Liverpool topped its table, after the port ranked first for forecast export growth and was placed in the top ten percent for access to consumer markets, skilled labour, availability of land, port capacity, import growth potential and size of the existing logistics market.

Peel Ports Group Commercial Director Stephen Carr said: ““We’ve long argued that the Port of Liverpool is one of the UK’s best-located ports, and we have built on that with significant investment over many years to create jobs and enable more efficient supply chains. These benefits have been greatly enhanced recently by confirmation from the Government that the Liverpool City Region has gained final Freeport status approval, meaning the benefits for supply chains locating to the region are even greater than ever.”

Knight Frank researched each port’s potential role in shortening supply chains and mitigating supply disruption. Its report looked into 13 different categories including a port’s capacity, connectivity, as well as the overall investment at the site and import and export growth potential. The Port of Liverpool received the highest overall score in its rankings.

Peel Ports has made significant investment at the port in recent years, building on the completion of Liverpool2 – a £400 million deep-water container terminal. The report also recognised the importance of the port’s grain terminal to the UK’s agri-bulk industry. The location of the port is of strategic importance to major importers and exporters of goods as it offers unrivalled connectivity to Ireland and access to a catchment area of over 35 million people.

About Peel Ports Group

Peel Ports Group is one the UK’s largest port operators, owning and operating six of the UK’s most important ports (Liverpool, Heysham, Manchester Ship Canal, Medway (Sheerness / Chatham), Clydeport and Great Yarmouth). It also operates a container terminal in Dublin and owns BG Freight Line, which provides short sea container services between the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe and Peel Ports Logistics, one of the UK’s leading shipping and freight forwarders. Peel Ports handles approximately 70 million tonnes of cargo every year. 14% of the total UK major ports traffic flows through ports operated by the Group. Headquartered in Liverpool, it employs around 2,000 staff.

Port of Liverpool has Logistics Potential

Posted on by David Priestman

The Port of Liverpool has been ranked as the UK’s top port for port-centric logistics potential in a new industry study. Property adviser Knight Frank analysed and ranked 41 UK ports based on 13 criteria, assessing their potential for future logistics investment and development, in its latest Future Gazing report.

The Port of Liverpool topped its table, after the port ranked first for forecast export growth and was placed in the top ten percent for access to consumer markets, skilled labour, availability of land, port capacity, import growth potential and size of the existing logistics market.

Peel Ports Group Commercial Director Stephen Carr said: ““We’ve long argued that the Port of Liverpool is one of the UK’s best-located ports, and we have built on that with significant investment over many years to create jobs and enable more efficient supply chains. These benefits have been greatly enhanced recently by confirmation from the Government that the Liverpool City Region has gained final Freeport status approval, meaning the benefits for supply chains locating to the region are even greater than ever.”

Knight Frank researched each port’s potential role in shortening supply chains and mitigating supply disruption. Its report looked into 13 different categories including a port’s capacity, connectivity, as well as the overall investment at the site and import and export growth potential. The Port of Liverpool received the highest overall score in its rankings.

Peel Ports has made significant investment at the port in recent years, building on the completion of Liverpool2 – a £400 million deep-water container terminal. The report also recognised the importance of the port’s grain terminal to the UK’s agri-bulk industry. The location of the port is of strategic importance to major importers and exporters of goods as it offers unrivalled connectivity to Ireland and access to a catchment area of over 35 million people.

About Peel Ports Group

Peel Ports Group is one the UK’s largest port operators, owning and operating six of the UK’s most important ports (Liverpool, Heysham, Manchester Ship Canal, Medway (Sheerness / Chatham), Clydeport and Great Yarmouth). It also operates a container terminal in Dublin and owns BG Freight Line, which provides short sea container services between the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe and Peel Ports Logistics, one of the UK’s leading shipping and freight forwarders. Peel Ports handles approximately 70 million tonnes of cargo every year. 14% of the total UK major ports traffic flows through ports operated by the Group. Headquartered in Liverpool, it employs around 2,000 staff.

Multimodal Specialist Appoints new Directors

Posted on by David Priestman

KRL, a UK and Ireland based multimodal freight-forwarding business, move into 2023 by announcing two highly significant appointments to support its exciting development plans. David Flaherty becomes Operations Director UK & IE, and Greig Allan becomes Commercial Director UK and IE.

Both are internal promotions of longstanding highly valued employees who have shown clear dedication to the company and its mission, and bring great experience into their important new roles.
“We are thrilled to have David and Greig join the leadership team at KRL,” said Peter Phythian, -KRL Managing Director, “Their dedication to the company and their industry expertise make them invaluable assets, and we have no doubt that they will continue to drive the success of the business in their new roles.”

Greig Allan began his career in logistics at P&O Nedlloyd in Southampton as a transport planner. He then moved to the export desk at P&O in Glasgow before joining JH Hillebrand, a company specializing in the drinks and beverage sector. From there, he worked for DHL Global Forwarding managing a control tower before transitioning to sales with Expeditors. He then joined Kingscote Rojay Limited (KRL) as a sales executive, later becoming the Regional Manager for the north and then the Commercial Manager for the UK. Greig has been instrumental in the growth of KRL’s Scottish branch and has contributed to several milestones and achievements within the company.

David Flaherty began his career in the aviation industry, starting with Aer Lingus in the ground operations department at Dublin Airport. He then moved into the freight world, working in both the import and export departments for Aer Lingus Cargo, before transitioning to the sales department. In this role, David was responsible for supporting all Aer Lingus customers, both big and small, within the Dublin-based freight forwarding community. After a few years, David became the Branch Manager of GeoLogistics Shannon, where he learned to become a multi-modal freight forwarder. In 2008, he opened his own business, Air Aqua Forwarding, which was purchased by the KRL Group five years later. Since joining KRL, David has held several positions within the company, including Ireland Manager, Facilities and Purchasing Manager, Operations Manager UK & IE, and now his current role as Operations Director UK & IE.

KRL is committed to providing opportunities for career progression and development within the company, as demonstrated by the promotions of David and Greig. These promotions not only demonstrate the trust and confidence in the abilities of these individuals, but also serve as a reminder that progression is available at all levels within the organization. From entry-level positions to the highest level of management, KRL encourages employees to take ownership of their professional development and grow within the company. This dedication to internal advancement is key to KRL’s continued success and growth. We look forward to seeing the impact both Greig and David will make as Directors.

Based out of Crawley for over 30 years, KRL provides Multimodal capabilities to it’s client base from its 7 locations across the UK and Ireland, through its team of dedicated freight forwarders customers have access to the full suite of Air, Ocean, Road, Logistics and Customs expertise on a daily basis.

For more than 25 years, KRL has been providing multi-modal and logistics services to clients importing and exporting goods across the borders of the UK and Ireland. KRL have steadily built up an extensive network of partners at over 400 facilities and 13,000 locations across the world that works with KRL to make timely and cost-efficient delivery, collection, and transfer of cargo. Within the UK and Ireland, KRL operate 10 hubs and a modern road haulage fleet. This allows KRL to easily facilitate the pick-up and delivery of consignments to client premises or its hubs, as desired. KRL also offer warehousing facilities, custom packing, and pick and pack services. These value-added services help KRL to better support its specialist supply chain solutions.

Multimodal Specialist Appoints new Directors

Posted on by David Priestman

KRL, a UK and Ireland based multimodal freight-forwarding business, move into 2023 by announcing two highly significant appointments to support its exciting development plans. David Flaherty becomes Operations Director UK & IE, and Greig Allan becomes Commercial Director UK and IE.

Both are internal promotions of longstanding highly valued employees who have shown clear dedication to the company and its mission, and bring great experience into their important new roles.
“We are thrilled to have David and Greig join the leadership team at KRL,” said Peter Phythian, -KRL Managing Director, “Their dedication to the company and their industry expertise make them invaluable assets, and we have no doubt that they will continue to drive the success of the business in their new roles.”

Greig Allan began his career in logistics at P&O Nedlloyd in Southampton as a transport planner. He then moved to the export desk at P&O in Glasgow before joining JH Hillebrand, a company specializing in the drinks and beverage sector. From there, he worked for DHL Global Forwarding managing a control tower before transitioning to sales with Expeditors. He then joined Kingscote Rojay Limited (KRL) as a sales executive, later becoming the Regional Manager for the north and then the Commercial Manager for the UK. Greig has been instrumental in the growth of KRL’s Scottish branch and has contributed to several milestones and achievements within the company.

David Flaherty began his career in the aviation industry, starting with Aer Lingus in the ground operations department at Dublin Airport. He then moved into the freight world, working in both the import and export departments for Aer Lingus Cargo, before transitioning to the sales department. In this role, David was responsible for supporting all Aer Lingus customers, both big and small, within the Dublin-based freight forwarding community. After a few years, David became the Branch Manager of GeoLogistics Shannon, where he learned to become a multi-modal freight forwarder. In 2008, he opened his own business, Air Aqua Forwarding, which was purchased by the KRL Group five years later. Since joining KRL, David has held several positions within the company, including Ireland Manager, Facilities and Purchasing Manager, Operations Manager UK & IE, and now his current role as Operations Director UK & IE.

KRL is committed to providing opportunities for career progression and development within the company, as demonstrated by the promotions of David and Greig. These promotions not only demonstrate the trust and confidence in the abilities of these individuals, but also serve as a reminder that progression is available at all levels within the organization. From entry-level positions to the highest level of management, KRL encourages employees to take ownership of their professional development and grow within the company. This dedication to internal advancement is key to KRL’s continued success and growth. We look forward to seeing the impact both Greig and David will make as Directors.

Based out of Crawley for over 30 years, KRL provides Multimodal capabilities to it’s client base from its 7 locations across the UK and Ireland, through its team of dedicated freight forwarders customers have access to the full suite of Air, Ocean, Road, Logistics and Customs expertise on a daily basis.

For more than 25 years, KRL has been providing multi-modal and logistics services to clients importing and exporting goods across the borders of the UK and Ireland. KRL have steadily built up an extensive network of partners at over 400 facilities and 13,000 locations across the world that works with KRL to make timely and cost-efficient delivery, collection, and transfer of cargo. Within the UK and Ireland, KRL operate 10 hubs and a modern road haulage fleet. This allows KRL to easily facilitate the pick-up and delivery of consignments to client premises or its hubs, as desired. KRL also offer warehousing facilities, custom packing, and pick and pack services. These value-added services help KRL to better support its specialist supply chain solutions.

Photoneo Brightpick Raises Funds

Posted on by David Priestman

Photoneo Brightpick Group, the parent company of Photoneo, a leading provider of robotic vision sensors and intelligence software, and Brightpick, a leading provider of warehouse automation solutions for ecommerce and grocery order fulfilment, has announced it has raised an additional $19 million to complete a $40 million Series B. Taiwania Capital led this most recent round, which also included follow-on investments by prior Series B lead investors IPM Group and Alpha Intelligence Capital. Additional investors in this round include H&D Asset Management, Venture to Future Fund and Kolowrat Group. This round brings the company’s total capital raised since inception to $53 million.

Photoneo Brightpick Group has more than 300 employees and is used in over 5000 technology installations across the US, Europe and Asia. Its customers include leading companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and KUKA. Currently, the US accounts for approximately 25% of Photoneo Brightpick Group’s revenue. The new funding will be used primarily to fund new installations of Brightpick’s warehouse automation solution in the US.

Brightpick has been actively rolling out its warehouse automation solution in Europe, including with Rohlik Group, one of Europe’s largest online grocers, with over 10 million orders per year and one million customers. Rohlik recently implemented the Brightpick solution to automate order fulfilment and dispatch in its Prague fulfilment centre.

The Brightpick solution takes a month to deploy, enables warehouses to reduce their picking labor by 95%, and cuts costs for order fulfilment by half. It is. The company is expected to announce a next-generation automated order picking solution powered by proprietary machine vision and AI technology in Q1 of 2023.

“We are seeing extremely strong interest from existing and new customers for Brightpick’s solution because it helps customers cut operating costs and eliminate labour challenges, two relevant concerns in today’s tough economic environment,” said Jan Zizka, CEO and co-founder of Photoneo Brightpick Group. “These new funds will help us accelerate the pace of deployment of our solution and scale our US presence.”

“Photoneo Brightpick Group has strong leadership, talented engineers and world-class technology that will fundamentally change how online retailers and grocers do order fulfilment in the future,” said Mitch Yang, managing partner at Taiwania Capital. “We look forward to working closely with them in this high-growth phase. In addition, we believe our connections to Taiwan’s ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sectors could add great value to this partnership.”

Photoneo is a leading provider of robotic vision sensors and intelligence software. Based on a patented 3D technology, Photoneo developed the world’s highest-resolution and highest-accuracy 3D camera, thus unlocking the full potential of powerful, reliable and fast machine learning. Photoneo is part of Photoneo Brightpick Group, headquartered near Cincinnati, OH, which has more than 300 employees and whose technology is used in over 5000 installations across the US, Europe and Asia. Its customers include leading companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and KUKA.

Brightpick offers the world’s most efficient warehouse automation solutions for ecommerce and grocery order fulfillment. The company’s end-to-end robotic solution autonomously picks, consolidates and dispatches orders in large, small and micro fulfillment centers. The Brightpick solution takes less than a month to deploy, enables warehouses to reduce their picking labor by 95%, and cuts costs for order fulfillment by half. Brightpick is part of Photoneo Brightpick Group, headquartered near Cincinnati, OH, which has more than 300 employees and 5000 technology installations across the US, Europe and Asia. Its customers include leading companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and KUKA.

Photoneo Brightpick Raises Funds

Posted on by David Priestman

Photoneo Brightpick Group, the parent company of Photoneo, a leading provider of robotic vision sensors and intelligence software, and Brightpick, a leading provider of warehouse automation solutions for ecommerce and grocery order fulfilment, has announced it has raised an additional $19 million to complete a $40 million Series B. Taiwania Capital led this most recent round, which also included follow-on investments by prior Series B lead investors IPM Group and Alpha Intelligence Capital. Additional investors in this round include H&D Asset Management, Venture to Future Fund and Kolowrat Group. This round brings the company’s total capital raised since inception to $53 million.

Photoneo Brightpick Group has more than 300 employees and is used in over 5000 technology installations across the US, Europe and Asia. Its customers include leading companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and KUKA. Currently, the US accounts for approximately 25% of Photoneo Brightpick Group’s revenue. The new funding will be used primarily to fund new installations of Brightpick’s warehouse automation solution in the US.

Brightpick has been actively rolling out its warehouse automation solution in Europe, including with Rohlik Group, one of Europe’s largest online grocers, with over 10 million orders per year and one million customers. Rohlik recently implemented the Brightpick solution to automate order fulfilment and dispatch in its Prague fulfilment centre.

The Brightpick solution takes a month to deploy, enables warehouses to reduce their picking labor by 95%, and cuts costs for order fulfilment by half. It is. The company is expected to announce a next-generation automated order picking solution powered by proprietary machine vision and AI technology in Q1 of 2023.

“We are seeing extremely strong interest from existing and new customers for Brightpick’s solution because it helps customers cut operating costs and eliminate labour challenges, two relevant concerns in today’s tough economic environment,” said Jan Zizka, CEO and co-founder of Photoneo Brightpick Group. “These new funds will help us accelerate the pace of deployment of our solution and scale our US presence.”

“Photoneo Brightpick Group has strong leadership, talented engineers and world-class technology that will fundamentally change how online retailers and grocers do order fulfilment in the future,” said Mitch Yang, managing partner at Taiwania Capital. “We look forward to working closely with them in this high-growth phase. In addition, we believe our connections to Taiwan’s ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sectors could add great value to this partnership.”

Photoneo is a leading provider of robotic vision sensors and intelligence software. Based on a patented 3D technology, Photoneo developed the world’s highest-resolution and highest-accuracy 3D camera, thus unlocking the full potential of powerful, reliable and fast machine learning. Photoneo is part of Photoneo Brightpick Group, headquartered near Cincinnati, OH, which has more than 300 employees and whose technology is used in over 5000 installations across the US, Europe and Asia. Its customers include leading companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and KUKA.

Brightpick offers the world’s most efficient warehouse automation solutions for ecommerce and grocery order fulfillment. The company’s end-to-end robotic solution autonomously picks, consolidates and dispatches orders in large, small and micro fulfillment centers. The Brightpick solution takes less than a month to deploy, enables warehouses to reduce their picking labor by 95%, and cuts costs for order fulfillment by half. Brightpick is part of Photoneo Brightpick Group, headquartered near Cincinnati, OH, which has more than 300 employees and 5000 technology installations across the US, Europe and Asia. Its customers include leading companies such as General Motors, Volkswagen and KUKA.

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