ABB will acquire intrion, a privately owned company headquartered in Huizingen, close to Brussels, with approximately 120 employees and over a decade of experience in logistics automation solutions and services for the warehouse and distribution, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. Its expertise covers a full spectrum of logistics automation solutions including inline checking, product picking, packing, palletizing, conveying, storage, sorting and sequencing, and order picking. The two parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the transaction, which is expected to close in Q3/Q4 2018.
The trend of mass customization in consumer goods is increasing the complexity of logistics tasks. e-fulfilment, for example, requires enhanced capabilities to identify, sort and process individual packages of more diverse shapes and sizes from large volumes of containers moving at high speed. Greater demand for tailored deliveries is also increasing complexity in retail logistics, where large chains require their suppliers to deliver pre-arranged palettes customized to each location that can be unloaded directly onto store shelves without sorting.
The unique scalability and flexibility of robotics to manage these challenges is driving strong logistics automation investment. According to the International Federation of Robotics, the market for professional service robots is expected to grow at an annual rate of 20 – 25 percent between 2018 and 2020.
Intrion has been an ABB authorized value provider since 2010, and has grown its business to become a well-established logistics automation solutions integrator in the Benelux. It will become part of ABB’s Robotics and Motion division, serving as a new regional application center focusing on logistics solutions for the warehouse, retail, and e-commerce markets in Europe.
About ABB
ABB is a technology provider in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation and robotics and motion, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner in ABB Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees.
For more information, visit www.abb.com.
About ABB Robotics
ABB Robotics is a industrial and collaborative robots and advanced digital services provider. As a robotics suppliers, they are active in 53 countries and over 100 locations and have shipped over 400,000 robot solutions in a diverse range of industries and applications.
For more information, visit abb.com/products/robotics/.