BMW’s venture capital fund has invested in warehouse automation company Plus One to help drive automation across the supply chain and logistics industry.
Plus One develops machine-vision software that enables robotic-arm hardware to intelligently and autonomously complete manual logistics tasks such as package sortation and de-palletisation.
The company also incorporates a differentiating “human-in-the-loop” element that allows for successful customer deployments starting on day one, while also improving system performance.
BMW i Ventures said its investment in the technology highlights that Plus One is a “category leader in the automation wave sweeping across the supply chain and logistics industry”.
“We believe that Plus One Robotics’ technology will usher in a new era of smart, adaptive robots to bring automation to new heights across not just big markets like automotive but across any supply-chain use case where items must be moved from one place to the next,” said Kasper Sage, partner at BMW i Ventures.
According to Plus One Robotics, the investment will support continued product development of its machine-vision software for applications within the logistics value chain.
“We’re fortunate to work with customers at the cutting edge of warehouse automation who share our values of ‘robots work, people rule’,” said Plus One Robotics CEO, Erik Nieves.
The BMW i Ventures investment formed part of a Series B funding round that secured US$33m (£23.3m) from existing investors McRock Capital, TransLink Ventures, Kensington Capital Partners and Ironspring Ventures.
