The North American market for materials handling automation is still growing, prompting more supplier partnships. Jungheinrich AG and Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas Inc. today announced their plans to launch Rocrich AGV Solutions. The joint venture will build on their existing partnership and offer mobile systems for factories and warehouses in North America.
Jungheinrich and Logisnext will hold equal shares in the company, which will be headquartered in Houston with additional operations in Marengo, Ill.
Logisnext and Jungheinrich have already been collaborating in North America for more than 15 years in North America. This includes MCJ Supply Chain Solutions LLC, a joint venture offering Jungheinrich automated guided vehicles (AGVs).
Brian Spradlin, currently president of MCJ with over 15 years of experience in the automation field, will continue his role in the expanded joint venture and serve as president of Rocrich.
“We are truly excited to announce Rocrich and to bring together the automation product portfolios of Rocla and Jungheinrich in the North American market,” said Spradlin in a press release.
““The combination will enable us to provide our customers and partners with fast and easy access to an industry-leading offering and position us for future market opportunities,” he said. “We will combine the best people and products in the industry to scale our business. Our ambition is to become one of the leading players in the market and to shape the future of our industry.”
Rocrich AGV Solutions to build on portfolio
The North American market for materials handling automation will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.73% between 2023 and 2028, predicted Mordor Intelligence. Report Ocean was more bullish, forecasting annual growth of 9.85% by hardware revenue and 13.68% yearly by unit shipment between 2019 and 2026.
In order to capture a significant portion of the projected growth in the North American material handling automation market, Rocrich will combine the AGV portfolios of Logisnext’s Rocla brand and that of Jungheinrich within the existing MCJ joint venture. This will provide customers and business partners with a single source for product and service solutions from both brands, said the companies.
Rocla and Jungheinrich said they each have more than 40 years of experience offering reliable mobile automation and robotics for warehouses. As one entity responsible for Rocla and Jungheinrich AGV portfolios, Rocrich will streamline processes and offer a single point of contact for customers and business partners as well as a strong service offering across North America, they said.
With the combined offering, Jungheinrich and Rocla said their product and service portfolios will enable Rocrich to cover all major customer use cases, from standard to special-purpose AGVs and automated forklifts. They said Rocrich will build on their portfolios with more products and services.
Joint venture expands North America reach
To become an even stronger partner for the market, Rocrich plans to grow its North American organization and further strengthen its local capacities. As part of this strategy, it will expand its capabilities in the areas of sales, commissioning, installation, and aftersales.
At the same time, the joint venture will rely on Jungheinrich’s and Rocla’s in-depth expertise to further enhance its existing customer support and experience in the region, according to the companies.
Rocrich will partner with more than 570 Logisnext dealer locations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The partners said the extensive dealer network will provide aftersales services such as 24/7 helpdesk support and a quick local response to inquiries, as well as planned and unplanned maintenance, among other items.
The launch of Rocrich commercial operations is subject to the receipt of various regulatory authority approvals. The parties expect to complete these activities and begin commercial operations in the third quarter of 2023.
About Mitsubishi Logisnext and Jungheinrich
Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas and other group companies of Kyoto, Japan-based Mitsubishi said they have helped customers “Move The World Forward” for more than 100 years. Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas said it offers scalable systems from material handling to automation and extensive fleet support.
The Houston, Texas-based company's portfolio spans five brands – Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Cat lift trucks, Rocla AGVs, UniCarriers Forklifts, and Jungheinrich warehouse and automation products. All products are backed by an extensive dealer network offering customer service and product support.
For 70 years, Jungheinrich said it has been driving the development of innovative and sustainable material handling products for intralogistics. The Hamburg, Germany-based family-owned company generated sales of €4.76 billion ($5.18 billion U.S.) in 2022 and has about 20,000 employees. Its global network includes 11 production sites, as well as service and sales companies in 42 countries.
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