14 DC VELOCITY DECEMBER 2019 www.dcvelocity.com
newsworthy
Teradyne acquires autonomous forklift vendor
Industrial automation equipment vendor Teradyne Inc.
is adding to its stable of warehouse robots, saying it will
acquire autonomous forklift vendor AutoGuide Mobile
Robots for $165 million, enlarging its share of the small but
fast-growing autonomous mobile robot
(AMR) sector.
The deal includes $58 million in cash,
plus $107 million if certain performance
targets are met extending potentially
through 2022.
North Reading, Massachusetts-based Teradyne already owns Mobile
Industrial Robots ApS (MiR), which
makes warehouse automation robots
that autonomously transport goods
around a DC. Teradyne also owns the
Danish robotic-arm manufacturer
Universal Robots (UR), which itself
hired more than 20 former employees
of the failed collaborative robot (cobot)
maker Rethink Robotics, creator of the
charismatic “Baxter” and “Sawyer” models.
By adding Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based AutoGuide
to that growing stable, Teradyne says it will complement
MiR’s range of low- and mid-payload carrying vehicles—
which can tote up to 2,200 pounds—with AutoGuide
AMRs designed for high-payload jobs, those involving
loads of nearly 10,000 pounds.
According to Teradyne, the acquisition was a response
to growing market demand for easy-to-deploy autonomous mobile robots. “AutoGuide, like
Universal Robots and MiR, is using
emerging smart, cost-effective technologies in industrial robotics to improve
workflows and reduce operating costs
in a broad spectrum of industries,”
Mark Jagiela, president and CEO of
Teradyne, said in a release.
AutoGuide provides AMRs for the
manufacturing, warehouse, and logistics markets, including the Max N10
mobile robot platform. The company
expects to more than double its revenue
in 2019 from approximately $4 million
in 2018.
While AutoGuide’s revenue is small
in relation to its purchase price, the
deal could pay off over the long term for Teradyne if
industry forecasts of aggressive growth in the robotic
tugger and automated fork truck markets prove accurate,
according to a report by U.K.-based market research firm
Interact Analysis. n
Forklift maker The Raymond Corp. has earned a 2019
Management Leadership award from the National
Association of Manufacturers’ Manufacturing
Leadership Council. Raymond received the award, which
is given to creators of innovative workforce solutions,
for its Raymond Virtual Reality Simulator—a technology
that allows forklift operators to learn best practices in
a virtual environment. … International express services
provider DHL has been honored with a SmartWay
Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). DHL Express was recognized
for its efforts to reduce fuel consumption and CO2
emissions within its operations. … Less-than-truckload
(LTL) carrier Old Dominion Freight Line was named the
overall winner of the Mastio Quality Award for national
less-than-truckload carriers for the 10th year in a row.
Old Dominion topped the list of 25 LTL carriers assessed
in the annual survey by market research firm Mastio &
Co. … GlobalTranz Enterprises Inc., a technology and
third-party logistics solutions company, has received a
Carrier Excellence award from bottled water supplier
Niagara Bottling. … The industry association Women
In Trucking has named Dupré Logistics a 2019 “Top
Company for Women to Work for in Transportation.”
Dupré was recognized for having a corporate culture
that fosters gender diversity, competitive compensation
and benefits, flexible hours and work requirements,
and professional development and career advance-
ment opportunities. … IMD Business School, a business
school headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, has
recognized transport logistics provider Dachser with its
Global Family Business award. … The Maine Grocers &
Food Producers Association has honored the Northeast
Independent Sales Team at supply chain company C&S
Wholesale Grocers Inc. with its 2019 Associate of the
Year award.
accolades
