stow Group Acquires Raiser Robotics, Creates Warehouse Automation Unit

Yesterday, stow International NV said it has acquired a majority stake in Raiser Robotics International GmbH for an unspecified amount. The Spiere-Helkijn, Belgium-based provider of industrial storage solutions also announced the creation of stow Robotics GmbH, a new unit dedicated to warehouse automation.

“The launch of stow Robotics is a strategic milestone for our business and will create substantial synergies across our warehouse automation portfolio," stated Jos De Vuyst, CEO of stow Group. "We are thrilled to welcome the Raiser Robotics team to stow Group, and look forward to their extensive industry experience and expertise enhancing stow Robotics.”

stow Group has about 1,750 employees and an office in Naperville, Ill. The Belgian company has nine production facilities across Europe and a global commercial organization. Grosswallstadt, Germany-based Raiser Robotics will become part of the new unit.

stow Robotics reorganizes offerings

stow Robotics will regroup all existing warehouse automation solutions for both pallets and bins, such as the stow Atlas 2D pallet shuttles launched in 2020, as well as the related services and teams.

The current development pipeline of warehouse automation hardware and software will also be part of the new unit, said the company. Detlef Ganz, chief technology officer of stow Group, will lead stow Robotics.

Raiser ASRS to join stow Group portfolio

Raiser Robotics has developed a patented automated shuttle system for dense storage and scalability. The start-up's e.scala is a modular automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The Blackstone Group, stow Group’s majority shareholder, is backing the creation of the new unit and the Raiser Robotics acquisition. The companies said the deal "reinforces and builds upon stow Group’s position as a leader in the industrial storage market with an innovative portfolio of warehouse solutions and a specific focus on the warehouse automation space."

Raiser Robotics will be led by logistics automation veteran Rainer Buchmann and be rebranded to stow Robotics.

“We’re delighted to join forces with stow Group, a global leader in industrial storage solutions," said Buchmann, co-founder of Raiser Robotics. "This is the right partnership to achieve swift market penetration of e.scala across Europe and North America, and we are proud to have our team contribute to shaping the future of stow Robotics.”