Alert Innovation and Murata Machinery announce partnership

Under the terms of the partnership, Murata Machinery, Ltd. (hereinafter, Muratec) a global leader in the material handling industry, will collaborate with Alert Innovation in both the development and commercialization of Alert Innovation’s Alphabot materials handling technology. Having recognized Alphabot’s superior capabilities across diverse automation applications, Muratec will adapt and sell the technology to support applications beyond Alert Innovation’s focus on transforming grocery retail.

“We developed the Alphabot technology to solve arguably the most difficult automation challenge in any industry, namely automating the supermarket,” says John Lert, Founder and CEO of Alert Innovation. “In solving that problem, we have created a technology that will be the best-in-class solution for a broad array of automation problems as well. Our partnership with Murata makes it possible for companies other than food retailers to benefit from this breakthrough technology, and it will also make both Muratec and Alert Innovation stronger companies in the process.”

Alphabot features robots that can navigate three-dimensional structures and is the most capital-efficient and broadly scalable each picking technology ever developed. It will power retail applications ranging from store-level micro-fulfillment systems to massive eCommerce fulfillment centers, and a large array of applications in factory automation and hospital automation.

“We believe the flexible mobile robotics solution that Alert Innovation has pioneered in the United States will provide distinct advantages for our customers with regard to storage density, cost efficiency and high reliability with no single point of failure,” says Toshihiko Ishiyama, Managing Director of Muratec.