stow Robotics acquires majority stake in iFollow

Belgium-based stow Robotics, stow Group’s warehouse automation business unit, announced today the acquisition of a majority stake in iFollow SAS, a collaborative autonomous mobile robot company.

The group launched stow Robotics in September 2021, regrouping all existing automated solutions for pallets and totes and related services and teams. Through this dedicated business unit, stow states that it is building a platform of automated solutions and continues to invest in technologies such as iFollow’s robot and software offering. Paris-based iFollow, founded in 2017, offers autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and a proprietary software suite, used in a wide variety of applications across different industries. The acquisition of iFollow is backed by funds managed by Blackstone, stow Group’s majority shareholder.

“We are thrilled to welcome iFollow to stow Robotics and have been impressed by the entire iFollow team,” said Jos De Vuyst, CEO of stow Group. “This is another important milestone for stow Robotics, adding a company that fits perfectly within our portfolio of scalable automation solutions. We truly believe this partnership will unlock significant synergies with our Atlas 2D pallet solution, as well as meaningfully accelerate iFollow’s growth through our commercial network. iFollow shares in our vision for the future and provides the perfect platform for further AMR-based solutions.”

Vincent Jacquemart, co-founder and CEO of iFollow, added: “We are delighted to join forces with stow Robotics, a leader in warehouse automation. We firmly believe this is the right partnership to start iFollow’s next phase of long-term growth, with a reliable, global partner. In addition to its commercial traction, technology-driven approach, and its advanced industrial base, we share with stow the same conviction on the importance of technology in warehouse automation and the future of intralogistics. It’s a very exciting moment for our team, which is looking forward to shaping the industry even further.”