Zebra Technologies to acquire vision unit from Photoneo Brightpick Group

The founders of Photoneo Brightpick Group, which is separating its vision and robotics units. Source: Photoneo

Photoneo Brightpick Group today announced that it has agreed to Zebra Technologies Corp.’s acquisition of its Photoneo s.r.o. unit, which provides vision sensors and artificial intelligence for robotics.

“Zebra is the perfect partner to support Photoneo in its next chapter as a company,” stated Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Photoneo Brightpick Group. “By combining Photoneo’s industry-leading 3D vision technology with Zebra’s global reach and broad portfolio of robotics and machine vision solutions, Photoneo is well-positioned to accelerate its growth and expansion.”

Bratislava, Slovakia-based Photoneo Brightpick Group said it has more than 8,000 technology installations across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Its Brightpick unit offers AI robots for warehouses to automate order fulfillment, from order picking and consolidation to dispatch and stock replenishment. The company spun off in 2021 from Photoneo Brightpick Group.

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Brightpick to continue global expansion

After the acquisition, Photoneo Brightpick Group said it will rename itself as Brightpick and continue operating as a separate entity focused on developing and deploying AI robots to automate warehouse operations.

The company said it plans to reinvest the majority of the proceeds from the sale to accelerate deployment across the U.S. and Europe. In October 2024, Brightpick raised $12 million, and it said it has secured a total of $47 million in funding to date.

“This transaction provides significant capital to reinvest in Brightpick and provide some return to shareholders,” asserted Zizka, a guest on The Robot Report Podcast. “With Brightpick’s ARR [annual recurring revenue] growing 8x in 2024 and our 2025 production capacity nearly fully booked, this funding will enable us to scale manufacturing and deployment to meet soaring demand for our AI robots and serve even more customers.”

Autopicker takes just weeks to deploy and enables companies to minimize labor for fulfillment, said Brightpick. The mobile manipulator can pick and consolidate orders directly in warehouse aisles, like a human with a cart.

The robot is powered by advanced AI, which enables it to operate in any warehouse environment and autonomously fulfill orders across a wide range of product categories, according to the company. Erlanger, Ky.-based Brightpick won Application of the Year in the 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards for Autopicker.

Zebra, Photoneo to combine AI, vision expertise

Both Zebra Technologies and Photoneo have developed perception hardware and software for robotics applications.

Photoneo claimed that its patented parallel structured light technology delivers fast, accurate, and high-resolution information. The company added that its sensors are certified to integrate with many leading robotic arms.

Zebra said its product portfolio is based on more than 50 years of experience in in scanning, track-and-trace, and mobile computing systems. With an ecosystem of 10,000 partners across more than 100 countries, the Lincolnshire, Ill.-based company counts over 80% of the Fortune 500 among its customers.

In 2021, Zebra acquired autonomous mobile robot (AMR) provider Fetch Robotics for $290 million. At MODEX 2024, it introduced new mobile robots, accessories, and scanners. In May, the company expanded its offerings for manufacturers.

“The combination of Photoneo’s 3D machine vision solutions with Zebra’s advanced sensors, vendor-agnostic software, and AI-based image processing will provide a unique portfolio of offerings to our customers globally,” said Joe White, chief product and solutions officer at Zebra. “Together, we will help our customers across automotive manufacturing, logistics, and other key markets maximize the potential of machine vision within their frontline operations.”

The companies did not disclose the terms of the transaction and said it is subject to customary closing conditions. They said they expect to close the deal in the first quarter of 2025.

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