Rockwell Automation, the world's largest company specializing in industrial automation and digital transformation, is accelerating its autonomous manufacturing logistics solutions by acquiring Clearpath Robotics, a Canadian company specializing in autonomous robots for industrial applications.


Rockwell announced on the 12th that it recently acquired Clearpath Robotics, a leading autonomous robot company.

With this acquisition, Rockwell Automation will further accelerate its efforts to realize the ‘Connected Enterprise.’

Transporting parts and materials between assembly lines and manufacturing cells is one of the most complex and inefficient tasks in industry, often creating production bottlenecks.

Autonomous production logistics can revolutionize workflows across manufacturing plants, dramatically reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency.

Clearpath Robotics' AMR, fleet management and navigation software helps ensure parts and subassemblies are in place in the field and finished products are transported to trucks or warehouses, dramatically increasing throughput and reducing costs.

According to Interact Analytics, the AMR market in manufacturing is expected to grow by approximately 30% annually over the next five years, reaching a market size of $6.2 billion in 2027.

With this acquisition, Rockwell Automation will become the world’s leading fixed-lokThe addition of Clearpath Robotics’ AMR capabilities to its traditional leadership in fixed robotic arms, independent technology and programmable logic controllers creates an industry-leading portfolio of advanced material handling solutions.

“Together, Rockwell Automation and Clearpath Robotics will optimize operations across the entire manufacturing facility by simplifying the difficult and labor-intensive tasks of moving materials and products,” said Blake Moret, president and CEO, Rockwell Automation. “The combination of autonomous robots and PLC-based line control has long been a goal for factory managers in industries ranging from automotive to consumer goods. The acquisition of Clearpath Robotics gives Rockwell Automation a unique ability to do just that – optimizing planning, operations and workforce across virtually every discrete and hybrid vertical.”

Data collected from Rockwell Automation solutions and Clearpath Robotics’ AMRs will be leveraged in AI-based, software-as-a-service information management applications such as those offered by Rockwell Automation’s Plex and Fiix businesses.

Through this, Rockwell Automation will provide an integrated solution for manufacturing to support autonomous execution and optimization, increased efficiency, production traceability, and real-time adjustments. Additionally, the combination of the two technologies is expected to strengthen Kalypso’s production logistics consulting capabilities.

“Customers increasingly demand more with less, and autonomous manufacturing logistics is becoming a critical enabler to achieve that goal and remain competitive,” said Matt Rendall, co-founder and CEO of Clearpath Robotics. “Together with Rockwell Automation, we are expanding our leadership in advanced logistics management and leveraging autonomous technology to create safer, more productive work environments.”