Zebra Technologies to acquire Photoneo
Zebra Technologies, headquartered in Illinois, USA, is set to acquire Photoneo, a Slovakian-based provider of robotic vision and intelligence.
Zebra is a global provider of software, robotics, machine vision, automation and digital decisioning. It has developed into the machine vision market in recent years with acquisitions including Matrox Imaging and Adaptive Vision. CEO Bill Burns commented that “this combination expands our portfolio of highly differentiated 3D sensors and advanced 3D machine vision software”. The additional 3D imaging tools that this will bring to Zebra is expected to strengthen its bin picking, depalletizing and inspection capabilities.
Photoneo was founded in 2013 and is a subsidiary of the Photoneo Brightpick Group. Photoneo claims to have designed the world’s highest resolution range of 3D cameras based on a patented technology. Its PhoXi 3D scanners boast three million 3D points in every scan and an accuracy of 25-500 μm across the different models.
Following the acquisition, the Photoneo Brightpick Group will be renamed Brightpick and continue operating as a separate entity in the field of warehouse automation solutions for order fulfillment. Founder Jan Zizka confirms that “The significant capital [the acquisition] brings will enable us to reinvest in scaling manufacturing and deployment to meet the surging demand for our AI robots”.
The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed but it is expected to close in the first quarter of this year.
