Shopify buys warehouse automation venture 6 River Systems
Shopify, the e-commerce platform provider that has emerged as the anti-Amazon, has announced the $450 million acquisition of warehouse automation and management technology developer, 6 River Systems.
In June, Shopify introduced its Fulfilment Network. It says that the acquisition is a critical step to accelerate its growth, while 6 River Systems will also continue to build and sell its solution for warehouses.
Shopify also gains access to the people who helped develop Amazon’s robotics business when they were at Kiva Systems (before Amazon acquired that company). And it gets to add 6 River Systems’ cloud-based software and collaborative mobile robots called Chuck to the Fulfilment Network.
“We are taking on fulfilment the same way we’ve approached other commerce challenges, by bringing together the best technology to help everyone compete,” says Tobi Lütke, CEO at Shopify. “With 6 River Systems, we will bring technology and operational efficiencies to companies of all sizes around the world.”
“By joining Shopify, we're changing the game of fulfilment. Together, we will help thousands of businesses improve their fulfilment operations, with an easy-to-learn solution that can more than double productivity and improve accuracy,” adds Jerome Dubois, co-CEO and Co-founder, 6 River Systems.