ABB to Acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group to Drive Next Generation of Flexible Automation

Tuesday 20th July 2021, Zurich, Switzerland: ABB today announced it will acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group (ASTI), a leading global autonomous mobile robot (AMR) manufacturer with a broad portfolio across all major applications enabled by the company’s software suite. This will expand ABB’s robotics and automation offering, making it the only company to offer a complete portfolio for the next generation of flexible automation.

The acquisition, a key part of ABB’s external growth strategy, was signed on July 19 and is expected to close in mid-summer 2021. Both parties agreed not to disclose any details regarding the purchase price.

Founded in 1982, ASTI is headquartered in Burgos, Spain and employs over 300 people in Spain, France and Germany. It is majority owned by Veronica Pascual Boé, who is also CEO. Other shareholders include European Growth Buyout investor Keensight Capital. Today it supports one of Europe’s largest installed fleets of AMRs and has a broad customer base in automotive, logistics, food & beverage and pharmaceuticals in 20 countries. Since 2015, the company has enjoyed close to 30 percent growth on an annual basis and is targeting approximately $50 million in revenue in 2021.

Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business said:

“With their industry-leading portfolio, comprehensive suite of software and deep domain expertise across growth segments, ASTI is the perfect choice for us as we support our customers with the next generation of flexible automation. With this acquisition, ABB will be the only company to offer a full automation portfolio of AMRs, robots and machine automation solutions, from production to logistics to point of consumption. This is a gamechanger for our customers as they adapt to the individualized consumer and seize opportunities presented by significant changes in consumer demand.”

AMRs will support an unprecedented degree of flexibility, from production, logistics, intralogistics and fulfillment through to retail and healthcare environments. This will enable ABB’s and ASTI’s common vision to help customers replace today’s linear production lines with fully flexible networks, where intelligent AMRs autonomously navigate materials, parts and finished products between smart connected workstations, in factories, logistics centers, laboratories, shops or hospitals.

Veronica Pascual Boé, ASTI CEO said:

“ABB’s vision is a perfect match for us, as we both support our customers’ flexibility and competitiveness through accelerating automation in the workplace. This is the next exciting stage of our journey and together we will accelerate our innovation plans, expand our global customer service, partner network, production and execution capacity and leverage ABB’s market access globally and particularly in China. I am delighted to join the extended Robotics management team and lead the AMR business to deliver this ambitious growth plan.”

ASTI’s industry-leading AMR portfolio includes autonomous towing vehicles, goods-to-person solutions, unit carriers and box movers as well as a comprehensive software offering, ranging from vehicle navigation and control, fleet and order management and cloud-based traceability systems.

These will be integrated with ABB’s portfolio of robots, machine automation, modular solutions and software suite including RobotStudio®, ABB Robotics’ simulation and programming tool, creating a unique and comprehensive automation portfolio for ABB’s customers.

ABB and ASTI offer deep domain expertise in manufacturing industries including automotive, food & beverage and consumer packaged goods, as well as in new growth segments including logistics, e-commerce, retail and healthcare.

With global AMR sales expected to reach approximately $14 billion by 2025 with a CAGR of approximately 20 percent1, ABB plans to expand AMR sales and service support globally to 53 countries.

ASTI’s headquarters in Burgos, Spain will become ABB’s AMR business headquarters, led by Pascual Boé, with core functions, including R&D, engineering, product and project value chain, continuing at ASTI’s facilities. ABB will significantly expand production capacity at the AMR business headquarters to support the planned sales expansion in Europe and the Americas. To facilitate the growth potential for AMRs in China and Asia, ABB will also establish an Asia AMR hub, including full value chain and manufacturing, at its new robotics factory, which will open in Shanghai in 2022. China, the world’s largest robotics market, is projected to account for $1.8 billion of AMR sales annually by 2025.

ABB Robotics’ acquisition comes shortly after the company’s announcements to expand robotics automation for new sectors and first-time users, including the launch of its new GoFa™ and SWIFTI™ collaborative robot families and its announcement that it will advance automation in the construction industry.

Click here to register for ABB’s press conference, including question and answer session, today Tuesday, July 20, 2021 at 10:30am CEST featuring Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business and Veronica Pascual Boé, ASTI CEO. 

1 Internal ABB analyses.

B-ROLL PACKAGES AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE: 

DIGITAL: 

ABB Announcement Hero Film [Subtitles]: https://we.tl/t-NPPJzSN0X0

ABB Announcement Hero Film: https://we.tl/t-6nLc0fdYga

BROADCAST: 

GVs Autonomous Mobile Robotics in Healthcare: https://we.tl/t-aPdVfW8jnk

GVs Autonomous Mobile Robotics in goods-to-person (logistics) ABB GoFa & BidiBOT 2000 AMR: https://we.tl/t-cXADEtJxPR

GVs Autonomous Mobile Robotics in goods-to-person (logistics) ABB GoFa & EBOT 350 AMR: https://we.tl/t-bfzk5TfVtw

GVs Autonomous Mobile Robotics in automotive manufacturing (final trim assembly) BidiBOT 2000: https://we.tl/t-Cctq4sB8A8

GVs ASTI AMRs in factories: https://we.tl/t-ov16mLNLK5

GVs Contract Signing Photocall: https://we.tl/t-L2IeIiJe3K 

IV Sami Atiya, President, ABB Robotics [English]: https://we.tl/t-wtJwYcJ9Jf

IV Verónica Pascual, CEO and Owner, ASTI [English]: https://we.tl/t-vYgopSVNig

IV Verónica Pascual, CEO and Owner, ASTI [Spanish]:  https://we.tl/t-o8w1tPOJI0

IV Marc Segura, Managing Director, Consumer Segments & Service Robotics (CSSR)
Business Line, ABB Robotics [English]: https://we.tl/t-mp6MWRlcpU

IV Marc Segura, Managing Director, Consumer Segments & Service Robotics (CSSR)
Business Line, ABB Robotics [Spanish]: https://we.tl/t-2cRkKETJmF

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