JASCI LLC, which provides warehouse management software as a service, today announced that it has acquired NextShift Robotics, which makes autonomous mobile robots. Lowell, Mass.-based NextShift will operate as JASCI Robotics and said it will focus on warehousing and logistics. A purchase price was not disclosed.
Scarcity of warehouse labor and the massive growth of e-commerce are driving interest in automation, said Elmsford, N.Y.-based JASCI. By 2025, as many as 4 million robots could be deployed in more than 50,000 warehouses to meet market demands, according to ABI Research. Over 50% of warehouses will have invested in robotics by 2025 to augment labor, predicted Gartner.
NextShift patents join JASCI portfolio
Mary Ellen Sparrow, co-founder and CEO of Nextshift Robotics, will be joining the new company as a co-founder. Sparrow is the co-author of many robotic patents. The NextShift patent portfolio contains eight robotic patents, with three unique patents and one patent family containing five additional patents.
By incorporating lidar and cameras, the NextShift autonomous mobile robot (AMR) can move accurately as well as use a mapping/traffic management system, noted JASCI. Hundreds of robots can efficiently navigate a warehouse simultaneously and safely alongside humans and materials handling equipment, it said.
JASCI added that SmartTask workflow technology enables customers to task and orchestrate all of this in real time.
“JASCI is uniquely positioned to help customers reach their goals by offering a complete solution—software and robotics hardware in a single platform—without complex integrations and coding projects,” stated Daniel Napoli, co-ounder and chief technology officer of JASCI Software. “We bring an entirely new way of delivering flexibility, speed, efficiency and accuracy to match the service levels required in today’s commerce.”
“We are innovating the logistics industry by addressing labor shortages, staff turnover, fulfillment speed, inventory accuracy and even pandemic viruses,” said Craig Wilensky, co-founder and CEO of JASCI Software. “The ability to smartly orchestrate people, robotics and material handling automation in real-time from a single platform, eliminates silos of complicated technology that were previously needed.”
SaaS and RaaS
JASCI claimed that it is an innovation leader in warehouse management software as a service (SaaS). It said its SaaS platform is powered by SmartTask, a patented technology that makes it easier to adapt changes, optimize, and implement workflows.
The company said its multi-tenant, multi-location and multi-lingual SaaS platform is available in 80 languages for deployments worldwide. JASCI added that its cloud-native architecture uses Oracle’s autonomous cloud to help businesses grow and scale.
“Robotics as a service [RaaS] is on our radar, as it can provide attractive ROIs [returns on investment] and quick payback for companies looking to invest in this technology, without having to commit to a big capital investment,” said Mark Rechan, chief financial officer of JASCI Software.
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