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A review of STIQ Robotics networking event on Nov 8, 2023

Parcel + Post (website) is a niche show targeting postal and courier operators, but also attracts larger retailers. The show is held annually at RAI Amsterdam in the Netherlands and is easily accessible from Amsterdam Centraal Station (4 stops). STIQ visited the show for the first time in 2023.  LAYOUT The show consists of 3 halls and is a relatively small show. There were about 200 exhibitors, ranging from sortation equipment and conveyor vendors to locker manufacturers (plenty of locker vendors!).  Whilst the show is small, it appeared they manage to attract a high calibre clientele or attendees. Or as one exhibitor...

DECLINING VALUATIONS? REALLY? We recently heard Clearpath Robotics/Otto Motors was acquired by Rockwell (source) and thought that perhaps valuations had been affected by the massive decline in valuation of 6 River Systems. 6 River Systems (link) was founded in 2015 by ex-Kiva Systems (acquired by Amazon in 2012) people and was acquired by Shopify in 2019 for $450m (source). In 2023, Shopify's change of strategy led them to divest 6 River Systems for $12.7m (source), representing a 35X value destruction. STIQ's inital thought was that this may affect valuations in the wider automation sector, but it appears the Shopify divestment was viewed as...

STIQ visited Logis Tech Tokyo in Sep 2023. Logis Tech is a logistics and intralogistics trade show held annually in Tokyo, Japan. This is a review of the bi-annual Innovation Expo show with images and videos from the showfloors.

LogiMAT 2023, Stuttgart, Germany The 2023 LogiMAT show was very bustling and we had two people on call to talk to exhibitors and get them excited about our publications. One thing that stood out was this hall, an extension of Hall 2. In 2022, this hall was full of mobile robot companies (many moved to Hall 6 in 2023). Was this a case of fewer exhibitors? Pocket Sorters are popular in Europe. There were far less of these solutions at Promat in Chicago earlier in 2023.  Plenty of newcomers have been attracted to the Cube Storage space. However, not all of these solutions are...