Locus Robotics Corp. today announced that it raised $26 million in Series C funding. The Wilmington, Mass.-based company produces autonomous mobile robots for e-commerce order fulfillment. Its “multi-bot” picking system includes LocusBots and the LocusEmpower software, which integrates with warehouse management systems.
Locus Robotics said that it plans to use the funding to scale production and to expand its sales and marketing efforts in North America and worldwide. The company has raised more than $66 million since it was spun out of Quiet Logistics in 2015.
“The continued, rapid growth of the warehouse industry and a tight labor market have placed tremendous pressure on warehouse operators to find a scalable, cost-effective way to meet increasing productivity and efficiency demands,” stated Rick Faulk, CEO of Locus Robotics. “We have seen a massive uptick in demand for the flexible automation incorporated into Locus’s multi-bot solution, which is uniquely suited to address these challenges.”
“We will launch in Europe by midyear,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
The number of warehouses worldwide using robots will grow from 4,000 last year to 50,000 by 2025, predicts ABI Research.
“Robots enable the optimization of space in expensive warehouse facilities and can reduce the need for new and costly greenfield fulfillment centers,” said ABI Research. “Mobile robotic systems also offer major flexibility advantages. Robot vendors … enable additional robots to be added to or removed from a fleet as operational demands require. They also allow easy and relatively rapid reconfiguration of entire workflows and operations if product lines or fundamental operational requirements change.”
Related content: Automate/ProMat 2019: 10 takeaways for robotics developers
Locus helps customers increase productivity
Locus Robotics said its offerings have helped customers, including DHL, GEODIS, Port Logistics, Radial, and Verst Logistics, double or even triple fulfillment productivity. It added that they have been able to save 30% or more on operating expenses.
“Locus’s offering delivers powerful results, scales to meet growth and seasonal demands, and is flexible enough for us to deploy it rapidly throughout our network,” said Eric Douglas, executive vice President of technology and engineering at GEODIS Americas.
At ProMat in Chicago this past month, Locus announced its Spring 2019 hardware and software suite. They included omnichannel support for simultaneous picking for retail store replenishment, wholesale, and e-commerce orders in a single robot.
Other enhancements included “putaway functionality,” in which items could “be easily and accurately restocked or returned to inventory”; multi-order, multi-tote picking; and bulk item pricing. In addition, Locus’ Spring 2019 release supports auto-recharging to “top off” LocusBots, gamification in its user interface, and real-time traffic-flow management, as well as custom branding for customers.
Strategic partners
Scale Venture Partners, which led Locus’ Series B round in 2017, and Zebra Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Zebra Technologies Corp., participated in the round. Zebra Technologies is working to integrate its technologies with those of Locus.
Locus recently added an accessory power port to its LocusBot, allowing a Zebra printer to work with the mobile robot. Locus also demonstrated a Zebra wireless handheld scanner that works with its “putaway” functionality.
“We invest in technologies that will help our customers increase operational efficiency and meet their requirements for on-time delivery,” said Tony Palcheck, managing director of Zebra Ventures. “We invest in technologies that will help our customers increase operational efficiency and meet their requirements for on-time delivery. Locus has quickly established itself as a leader in warehouse automation, and the company is a natural fit with our enterprise intelligence vision in the warehouse market.”
Filed Under: Warehouse automation, The Robot Report, Robotics • robotic grippers • end effectors
Tell Us What You Think!