The Massachusetts-based warehouse robotics vendor Symbotic has bought a German firm that provides a software-driven sortation system, saying the platform replaces traditional conveyor infrastructure with intelligent, omnidirectional movement.
Symbotic bought Cellumation GmbH, a Bremen, Germany-based automation company and creator of the “celluveyor,” a software-driven sortation technology.
Cellumation says its system is made up of hundreds of independently controlled, omnidirectional cells. Each cell can move an item in any direction, meaning the celluveyor does not simply move products; it decides where products should go while moving them. That technology is particularly relevant in industries and markets where facility footprints are constrained and efficient use of space is increasingly critical, and is currently being used in live deployments for postal, e-commerce, and logistics operators worldwide, the firm said.
According to Symbotic, the firm’s technology will enable Symbotic to simplify cell architecture and free up critical warehouse space for more storage and other high-value uses, with the potential to reduce capital equipment costs. After the deal closes, Cellumation will continue to operate under its own name from its headquarters in Germany, serving its global customer-base while accelerating Symbotic’s expansion across Europe.
The move marks the latest acquisition for Symbotic. “Building on our recent acquisitions of ARMS Innovations and Fox Robotics, this transaction brings another diversified, standalone product into Symbotic’s portfolio – one that will be sold both directly to customers and other integrators, and integrated into Symbotic’s solutions,” said Rick Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Symbotic.
Symbotic has deep ties with Walmart—which in 2022 said it would install Symbotic’s robotics and software automation platform in all 42 of the retail giant’s regional distribution centers over the coming years—and with Softbank, the Japanese investment firm which bought a stake in Symbotic in 2023 and announced plans to create a joint venture offering warehouse-as-a-service automation products using Symbotic’s technology.
Thanks to that financial backing, Symbotic has been able to make previous acquisitions such as buying ARMS Innovations, a British vendor of warehouse orchestration software, buying Walmart’s Advanced Systems and Robotics business for $200 million, and buying the robot safeguarding system maker Veo for $8.7 million.
