Asti's AMR portfolio comprises autonomous vehicles including tractor units, goods-to-person solutions and forklift trucks, as well as a software offering that ranges from vehicle navigation and control to fleet and order management and cloud-based systems for seamless tracking and tracing. Headquartered in Burgos, Spain, the company was founded in 1982 and employs more than 300 people in Spain, France and Germany. The company is majority-owned by CEO Veronica Pascual Boé; other shareholders include the European growth investor Keensight Capital. The company has recorded annual growth of almost 30% since 2015. Asti expects sales of around 50 million US dollars in 2021.

Sami Atiya, Head of ABB's Robotics & Factory Automation business unit, and Veronica Pascual Boé, CEO of ASTI

© ABB

"With its industry-leading portfolio, comprehensive software suite and deep expertise in key growth segments, Asti is the perfect company for us to support our customers with the next generation of flexible automation," said Sami Atiya, head of ABB's Robotics & Factory Automation business. "ABB is now the only company with a complete automation portfolio of AMR, robots and machine automation solutions - from production to logistics to the end user."

Asti's headquarters in Burgos will become the headquarters of ABB's AMR business unit, which will be led by Veronica Pascual Boé. The core functions, which include R&D, engineering and production, will continue to operate at the Asti sites. ABB will significantly expand production capacity at the headquarters of the AMR business to support the planned increase in sales in Europe and the Americas. In addition, ABB will establish an AMR center for Asia at its new robot factory, which will open in Shanghai in 2022, covering the entire value chain including manufacturing to unlock the growth potential for AMR in China and Asia.

The purchase agreement was signed on July 19, 2021 and the transaction is expected to close over the summer. Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.