Simbe Robotics says it has partnered with Plexus Corp. to bring its retail robotics-as-a-service to market quickly and at global scale.
Thus far in 2024, Simbe has introduced its intelligence platform to wholesalers, building on a chainwide deployment with BJ's Wholesale Club in four months; expanded its partnership with SpartanNash to an additional 60 locations; and added to its leadership team with the strategic hiring of several key executives.
“Today’s most important consumer decisions are made at the shelf, and top retailers are turning to computer vision technology to capture true visibility into demand that they don’t have anywhere else and power accuracy and execution across their entire business," Simbe Chief Operating Officer Gary Galensky told The Packer. "In fact, Coresight research recently found that over 80% of retailers are planning to invest in in-store technology in the next year.
Galensky said computer vision has been Simbe’s core business for years, so the company understands that robot production requires sophisticated expertise across supply chain, manufacturing, testing and quality — for powering top retail priorities and to capture the hearts and wallets of shoppers and shareholders.
"Our partnership with Plexus allows us to ensure faster deployments and maintain the highest-quality manufacturing standards on a global scale," Galensky said. "With Plexus, we’re helping retailers stay ahead of the curve and deliver exceptional in-store experiences to their customers through technology."
Plexus partners with global health care and life sciences, industrial and aerospace and defense companies to provide design and development, supply chain, new product introduction, manufacturing and sustaining services solutions across its 26 facilities.
“Simbe is an innovative and respected leader in the retail robotics market, and we’re delighted to aid in scaling their business through our industry-leading engineering and manufacturing solutions,” said Brian Wilson, market sector vice president of industrial for Plexus. “Our partnership bolsters Simbe’s state-of-the-art technology in support of Plexus’ vision to help create products that build a better world.”
With more than four decades of experience and a team of over 20,000, Plexus says it delivers the expertise required to help Simbe accelerate the production and shipment of its advanced technology to retail customers globally. Simbe's operations are concentrated in Plexus' locations that have the capacity to produce thousands of new units each day, according to the companies.
“Throughout our first year of work together, Plexus has proven their commitment to supply chain, capacity and quality to facilitate global production," Galensky said. “This strategic partnership ensures that Simbe can continue to meet the rising market demand for cutting-edge retail technology and help our customers solve operational inefficiencies, boost revenue and enhance the overall in-store experience.”
The demand for retail technology has reached a crucial tipping point, according to a Coresight Research report released in March 2024.
Retailers are losing on average at least 4.5% in revenue to in-store inefficiencies, according to the report. To address revenue gaps, the majority of retailers will invest up to nine figures annually in new in-store technology to improve performance across inventory management, operations and planning, the company said.
Related: Study — 70% of retailers lose at least 5% operating margin to in-store inefficiencies