Amazon announced the acquisition of Belgium-based mechatronics company Cloostermans Friday morning.
In Amazon’s pursuit to be “Earth’s best employer,” the company signed an agreement to acquire Cloostermans, which specializes in warehouse technology. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“Amazon’s investments in robotics and technology are supporting how we build a better and safer workplace for our employees and deliver for our customers,” said Ian Simpson, vice president of global robotics at Amazon. “As we continue to broaden and accelerate the robotics and technology we design, engineer and deploy across our operations, we look forward to welcoming Cloostermans to Amazon and are excited to see what we can build together.”
Amazon has worked with Cloostermans since 2019 to “support employees in their roles and improve safety at work and also help reduce packaging waste.”
The acquisition will add 200 employees to Amazon’s global robotics division. Cloostermans will likely work alongside the company’s European Innovation Lab in Italy.
“We’re thrilled to be joining the Amazon family and extending the impact we can have at a global scale,” said Frederik Berckmoes-Joos, CEO of Cloostermans. “Amazon has raised the bar for how supply chain technologies can benefit employees and customers, and we’re looking forward to be part of the next chapter of this innovation.”
According to Amazon, the company has utilized over 520,000 robotic drive units globally while simultaneously creating over a million jobs — many of which include robotics and mechatronics maintenance technicians.