Simbe, Plexus Partnering to Scale Robotic Manufacturing

May 7, 2024

31 2 minutes read

May 07, 2024

The partnership announced May 7 is aimed at expanding retail robotics-as-a-service to market on a global scale.
On average, retailers are losing at least 4.5 percent in revenue to in-store inefficiencies

Simbe has entered into a partnership with Plexus Corp. to bring its retail robotics-as-a-service to market quickly and at global scale.

This partnership announced May 7 will assist Simbe’s growing operations and customer base as a provider of store intelligence solutions, enabling the company to meet interest from prospective retail partners around the world.

Plexus is an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company concentrating on the design, manufacture, and service of highly complex products and regulatory environments. The company partners with companies in the healthcare, industrial, and aerospace and defense sectors across its 26 facilities in the U.S., European and Asian regions.

Simbe Eyes Expansion

This manufacturing partnership will empower a network of technology leaders like Avery Dennison Corp, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Intel, NVIDIA, Simply NUC, and others who work alongside Simbe to develop advanced store intelligence solutions for new and existing retail partners.

Gary Galensky, COO of Simbe, noted throughout the first year of working together, Plexus has proven their commitment to supply chain, capacity, and quality to facilitate global production.

“This strategic partnership ensures 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,” said Galensky in a statement announcing the deal.

Addressing In-store Inefficiencies

This deals is just the latest advance for Simbe—in 2023, the company recorded a 3X increase in its subscription revenue base. Thus far in 2024, Simbe has introduced the industry’s first intelligence platform for wholesalers, building on a successful launch and chain-wide deployment with BJ’s Wholesale Club; expanded its partnership with SpartanNash to an additional 60 locations; and announced the expansion of its leadership team with the strategic hiring of several key executives.

The expansion coincides with the demand for retail technology increasing post-pandemic. On average, retailers are losing at least 4.5 percent in revenue to in-store inefficiencies, according to a Coresight Research report released this year. To address revenue gaps, the majority of retailers are expected to invest up to 9 figures annually in new in-store technology to improve performance across inventory management, operations, and planning.

Plexus Global Reach

With more than four decades of experience and a team of over 20,000, Simbe officials see Plexus offering the expertise required to help it 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.

For Plexus’ Market Sector Vice President, Industrial Brian Wilson, he sees Simbe as an innovative and respected leader in the retail robotics market.

“We’re delighted to aid in scaling their business through our industry-leading engineering and manufacturing solutions,” said Wilson. “Our partnership bolsters Simbe’s state-of-the-art technology in support of Plexus’ vision to help create products that build a better world.”