Zebra Technologies announces plan to ‘dispose or exit’ robotics automation business unit

Zebra Technologies, a global company that digitizes and automates workflows to deliver intelligent operations, made a major announcement in its December 2025 SEC filing.

The company, citing resource realignment, will soon “dispose or exit its robotics automation solutions business.”

Zebra looks for exit of robotics business unit

Here is the full statement from Zebra’s December 2025 SEC filing:

“On December 9, 2025, in an effort to realign resources to efficiently support its strategic priorities, Zebra Technologies Corporation (the “Company”) determined that it would dispose or exit of its robotics automation solutions business. The Company expects to incur up to $80 million of one-time pre-tax charges, inclusive of non-cash asset impairment charges of approximately $60 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025. The actions are expected to result in net annualized pre-tax cost savings of at least $20 million.

The estimated charges that the Company expects to incur as a result of such actions are subject to a number of assumptions, and actual results may differ materially from these estimates. The Company may also incur additional costs not currently contemplated due to unanticipated events that may occur as a result of, or that are associated with, such actions.”

Zebra Robotics Automation includes a host of products underneath its robotics umbrella, including:

• Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)
  • Connect, Roller Series, Flex Series
• Software
  • Zebra Order Fulfillment
  • Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment

Details of exactly which products will be included in the disposal or exit from Zebra’s robotics automation solution business were not provided.

In an emailed statement to Modern Materials Handling, a Peerless Media publication, Zebra Technologies said:

“Zebra Technologies has decided to explore strategic options for our robotics automation business. This move will enable Zebra to further sharpen our strategic focus on digitizing and automating frontline workflows and on our investments in key growth areas, including our core markets such as mobile computing, printing and scanning as well as RFID, machine vision, AI and software solutions. Long term, we will continue to provide solutions that empower organizations to increase productivity, optimize inventory, and automate workflows to better serve consumers and patients across our key industries.”

Zebra acquired Fetch Robotics for $290M in 2021

In July 2021, Zebra Technologies acquired Fetch Robotics, an AMR provider, for $290 million.

Anders Gustafsson, current chairman of the board for Zebra Technologies at the time of the Fetch acquisition, provided the following statement in July 2021.

“The acquisition of Fetch Robotics will accelerate our Enterprise Asset Intelligence vision and growth in intelligent industrial automation by embracing new modes of empowering workflows and helping our customers operate more efficiently in increasingly automated, data-powered environments,” he said. “This move will also extend our ongoing commitment to optimize the supply chain from the point of production to the point of consumption.”

Now, as the AMR and fulfillment markets continue to evolve, this news represents a potential turning point with these technologies.

“Although the AMR industry now exceeds $4 billion annually and continues to grow at a double-digit rate, a common misconception is that it represents a single addressable market for any vendor,” said Ash Sharma, VP of research at market intelligence firm Interact Analysis. “In reality, the industry comprises multiple segments, each requiring specific AMR form factors tailored to distinct workflows. The segment targeted by Zebra through Fetch’s technology was worth only a few hundred million dollars.”

In January 2025, Interact Analysis reported that the global mobile robot market was slowing due to macroeconomic factors.