Warehouse automation provider stow Group launches Movu Robotics brand

Global provider stow Group, which offers advanced storage solutions and automated warehouse systems, has announced the launch of its new “Movu Robotics” brand, developed to strengthen its robotics business and to meet increasing customer demand for automation and robotics solutions. The new brand replaces the name “stow Robotics” as of Sep 19th 2023. 

Movu Robotics is based in new headquarters located in Lokeren, near Antwerp in Belgium that, under a single roof, includes engineering, R&D, production, and an Experience Centre where the latest technologies can be demonstrated live in operation to customers and partners, the company added. 

The group noted that it has 40 years of experience as a supplier of logistics and materials handling solutions, with a product DNA based on racking. The stow Robotics brand was established in 2021 as part of the stow Group and has developed a portfolio of automation and robotics solutions for pallets, bins and items. This lineup comprises Movu atlas, a pallet shuttle system; Movu escala, an ramp shuttle solution for bins; Movu ifollow, a collaborative autonomous mobile mobot (AMR) system for pallets and additional load carriers; and the new picking robot Movu eligo. 

Despite all their advantages, automated technologies and robotics are perceived by many customers as being complex, expensive, resource intensive with long lead time for installation, the group noted, adding that Movu Robotics addresses this issue by bringing easier automation to the world’s warehouses. For projects in the main vertical markets, especially in e-commerce, fast-movinig consumer goods (FMCG) and cold storage in Europe and North America, Movu Robotics will deliver simple, standardised plug and play solutions that require less engineering and grant short lead times for execution, allowing customers to keep their operations running, the company added.

“Faced with challenges of labour shortages, cost increases, storage density, growing volumes and improving accuracy, companies are turning to robotics and automation for solutions," said Jos de Vuyst, CEO of stow Group. "Movu Robotics offers an integrated ecosystem of standardised and scalable automation technology that speeds roll out and reduces risk for all kinds of customers. We want to democratise materials handling through bringing the opportunities of easier automation and robotics to warehouses that would otherwise find them hard to attain. Expecting the global material handling equipment market to reach USD 350 billion and understanding the key driver AS/RS systems and Robotics for this, we are optimistic that Movu Robotics will become an essential player.” 

Stefan Pieters, CEO of Movu Robotics, added that, “smart enough to make any operation feel simple and easy, Movu robots help to take a load off the customers’ minds as well as their shelves. Our solutions are designed to make warehouse automation and robotics not only more accessible, but also more scalable."

stow Group now has two independent brands under its roof: stow Racking and Movu Robotics. While both of these brands retain their independence, they complement each other in terms of expertise, know how, technology, and global resources, the group added.  All products, business activities and operations of stow Group in the field of Robotics and Automation, including R&D, production, sales and finance, will be grouped as an independent and stand-alone business unit under the Movu Robotics brand in the new headquarters in Lokeren. This includes the operations of the ifollow business, which is now the brand name of the AMRs offered by Movu.

Movu Robotics will target the market with a dual strategy, the group noted: providing end users with a direct channel, for which Movu relies on a network of sales offices in main territories. The other part of this strategy is the indirect channel where Movu can supply a fully functional storage sub-system from its portfolio to a systems integrator for integration into a complete project.