stow Robotics announces the acquisition of a majority stake in iFollow

Spiere-Helkijn (Belgium) – 24 May 2022 - stow Robotics, stow Group’s warehouse automation business unit, announced today the acquisition of a majority stake in iFollow SAS (“iFollow”), a collaborative autonomous mobile robot company.

Reinforcing stow’s commitment to warehouse automation, stow Robotics was launched in September 2021, regrouping all existing automated solutions for pallets and totes and related services and teams. Through this newly created and dedicated business unit, stow is building a platform of scalable and innovative automated solutions and continues to invest in groundbreaking technologies such as iFollow’s robot and software offering.

iFollow, founded in March 2017, is a Paris-based robotics company developing and commercialising market-leading autonomous mobile robots (“AMRs”) and a proprietary software suite. Its present fleet of cutting-edge AMRs and software are suited for a large range of use-cases, such as collaborative picking and in-and-outbound transport. iFollow is currently accelerating the commercialisation and deployment of its AMRs, having already deployed its technology in a wide variety of applications across different industries and building on a promising pipeline.

The acquisition of iFollow is backed by funds managed by Blackstone, stow Group’s majority shareholder. The partnership with iFollow’s management, who remain on board, strengthens and builds on stow Robotics’ clear strategy and leading position in the global warehouse automation market.

Jos De Vuyst, CEO of stow Group, said:

“We are thrilled to welcome iFollow to stow Robotics and have been impressed by the entire iFollow team. This is another important milestone for stow Robotics, adding a company that fits perfectly within our portfolio of scalable automation solutions. We truly believe this partnership will unlock significant synergies with our Atlas 2D pallet solution, as well as meaningfully accelerate iFollow’s growth through our commercial network. iFollow shares in our vision for the future and provides the perfect platform for further AMR-based solutions.”

Vincent Jacquemart, co-founder and CEO of iFollow, said:

“We are delighted to join forces with stow Robotics, a leader in warehouse automation. We firmly believe this is the right partnership to start iFollow’s next phase of long-term growth, with a reliable, global partner. In addition to its commercial traction, technology-driven approach, and its advanced industrial base, we share with stow the same conviction on the importance of technology in warehouse automation and the future of intralogistics. It’s a very exciting moment for our team, which is looking forward to shaping the industry even further.”

About stow

stow Robotics is the warehouse automation business unit within stow Group. stow Group is one of the leading suppliers of industrial storage solutions. stow Group, headquartered in Belgium, has about 1,800 employees across Europe and North America. The company has a pan-European production footprint with 9 industrial facilities all over Europe and a global commercial organization.

About iFollow

iFollow is a Paris-based industrial company, developing and commercializing market-leading autonomous mobile robots (“AMRs”) dedicated to the transport of complex loads in the industrial and logistics sectors. With a team of 50+ experts specialized in mechanics, electronics, embedded systems, artificial intelligence and robotics navigation, iFollow improves operators’ working conditions and optimizes intralogistics flows to gain productivity.