Ecommerce giant Amazon has acquired Belgian mechatronics specialist Cloostermans. It is unclear what amount was involved in the deal. Amazon will scale up its robotics operations with Cloostermans’ technology.

Collaboration since 2019

The Belgian company Cloostermans was founded in 1884 as a textile repair shop, where it developed small textile machines. It has locations in Hamme, Brussels and Antwerp. Since the seventies, it has grown into a mechatronics specialist.

Amazon uses robots to move and stack heavy pallets and containers.

The online marketplace and Cloostermans have been working together since 2019. Amazon is currently using Cloostermans’ robots in its warehouses to move or stack heavy pallets and containers. The robots are also used to pack up orders more efficiently, which helps reduce the wasting of packaging materials.

Acquisition will ramp up operations

According to the ecommerce giant, Amazon currently has over 520,000 robot drive units globally. The acquisition enables Amazon to ramp up its robotics operations and scale up quickly. “Amazon’s investments in robotics and technology help us create a better and safer workplace for our employees and maximize customer satisfaction”, said Ian Simpson, vice president Global Robotics at Amazon.

Cloostermans’ team will join Amazon.

Cloostermans’ 200 employees will join Amazon’s Global Robotics team in Europe. “We look forward to joining the Amazon family soon and expanding the impact we can have on a global scale”, said Frederik Berckmoes-Joos, CEO of Cloostermans. “We are excited to be a part of this next chapter of innovation.”