Shopify, the shopping technology developer that’s
quickly becoming the anti-Amazon, has taken another step up the sales supply
chain with its $450 Million acquisition of the warehouse automation and
management technology developer, 6 River Systems.
The acquisition will serve to boost
efficiencies among Shopify’s Fulfilment Network service, which
launched in June. The acquisition gives Shopify access to the robotics experts
who helped develop Amazon’s own robotics business when they were at
Kiva Systems (before Amazon acquired that company).
Shopify’s fulfillment canters span California,
Georgia, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The network, which
is only available in early access, supports merchants that ship between 10 and
10,000 packages per day. The company hopes to eventually support between 3 and
30,000 packages per day. The 6 River Systems acquisition looks like an attempt
to speed up that growth.
6 River Systems is best known for its Chuck
autonomous vehicles that can move packages in warehouses. Indeed, Shopify
believes that adding the robots to its fulfillment network “will increase the
speed and reliability of warehouse operations by empowering on-site associates
with daily tasks, including inventory replenishment, picking, sorting, and
packing.”
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