Locus Robotics rolls its AMRs into Australia through Korber deal

Warehouse automation provider Locus Robotics will start selling its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in Australia and New Zealand under the terms of a partnership announced today with Cohesio Group, a unit of the German logistics technology vendor Körber AG.

Under terms of the deal, Cohesio will become a licensed reseller of the Locus AMR solution, managing installation, training, and support for shared customers in the Asia Pacific Region (APAC).

Through the partnership, Cohesio is being equipped to act as an end-to-end partner, providing the professional resources to allow Locus to make its first push into the region, John Santagate, vice president for robotics at Körber Logistics, said in an email. “It is exclusive; if you are getting Locus in that region, you are getting it from Cohesio,” Santagate said. "Cohesio is being equipped to act as an end-to-end partner, doing everything from deal identification through support.”

The news comes just a week after Massachusetts-based Locus unveiled a $40 million venture capital round from Zebra Ventures and other investors, saying the money will help it drive research and development (R&D) and expand its sales network into Europe. And in March, Locus announced a deal that will see global logistics provider DHL Supply Chain deploy 1,000 Locus Robotics AMRs to 12 sites across North America.

Adding the deal with Körber allows Locus to continue that process of expanding the market for its products to warehouse operators worldwide, Locus CEO Rick Faulk said in a release. “This partnership enables us to bring the Locus solution to a greater number of retail and 3PL customers in the Australia and New Zealand region, who are under tremendous pressure to meet increasing demand in today’s booming e-commerce market,” Faulk said. “We look forward to working together to deliver cutting-edge robotic technology that will drive significant operational efficiency and productivity gains.”

From Cohesio’s point of view, the move is a way to help its clients keep up with those same trends using Locus robots for e-commerce, wholesale and store replenishment, discrete picking, batch picking, omnichannel and other applications.

“We have been exploring ways to broaden our portfolio and service offering in the robotics and AMR space,” Cohesio Group CEO Nishan Wijemanne said in a release. “We know that many retailers and logistics providers are experiencing a surge in e-commerce demand and therefore having to re-think their operations. With this new partnership, we can add value to our clients and offer further AMR and technology solutions that can help them to meet this increase in demand.”

Cohesio has also been growing fast itself, being acquired by Körber just nine months ago and then joining 11 other sister companies under the Körber Supply Chain umbrella group. Together, the united brands will become a technology provider with a diverse range of capabilities spanning software, automation, voice, robotics, and material handling equipment, Cohesio said.