Yamaha Motor has agreed to buy New Zealand startup Robotics Plus, which specialises in automated agricultural solutions.
The closing of the deal is likely to occur in April 2025, after any necessary procedures.
Before this, Yamaha Motor purchased assets from The Yield Technology Solutions, an Australian startup which provides digital agricultural solutions, and transferred those assets to its newly established ‘Yamaha Agriculture Australia’.
These subsidiaries will be overseen by the new US-based company of a similar name, Yamaha Agriculture.
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Through these purchases, the Yamaha will develop and deliver automation and digital transformation solutions, to enable precision agriculture, with the aim to realise “sustainable as well as profitable farming practices.”
Robotics Plus uses robotics, automation, sensing, and data analytics to facilitate farming, and has developed unmanned vehicles that are able to weed and spray, to this end.
It also developed automated fruit-packing systems as well as robotics systems that automate log measurements.
Yamaha Agriculture will combine robotic solutions with advanced data analytics to support producers of wine grapes, apples, and other specialty crops across North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Hajime Aota, Chief Strategy Officer, Yamaha Motor, said: “This move also aligns with Yamaha Motor’s global technology roadmap, focusing on advanced energy management, intelligent systems, and software-driven solutions.
“With the launch of this new company, we aim to leverage Yamaha’s technological expertise to contribute to sustainable and profitable farming, using a customer-centric approach. Growers will be able to better address challenges around labor shortages, resource scarcity, and the impacts from climate change.”
Adding, Nolan Paul, Group CEO, Yamaha Agriculture, said: “Guided by our mission to ensure growers are sustainable, profitable, and resilient, Yamaha Agriculture recognises that the challenges facing specialty crop growers require thoughtful solutions that will take time to develop.
“We believe meaningful innovation in agriculture emerges through close collaboration with growers and industry partners. The capabilities of Robotics Plus in robotics and automation and The Yield in AI-powered analytics represent two important building blocks in addressing these challenges.
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