Manitou Group Acquires Sitia’s Robotics Division to Strengthen Innovation Strategy
Manitou Group has announced the acquisition of the robotics division of Sitia, reinforcing its commitment to making robotics a key pillar of innovation under its recently unveiled LIFT strategic roadmap.
The acquisition includes a team of seven specialists—comprising engineers and PhD researchers—known for their work on the autonomous agricultural robot TREKTOR. These experts will now join Manitou’s R&D teams, bringing with them significant experience and intellectual property that will accelerate the Group’s robotics development.
By integrating Sitia’s robotics capabilities, Manitou aims to fast-track the creation of advanced, value-added solutions tailored to the evolving needs of its customers in the agricultural and semi-industrial sectors.
With this acquisition, the Group is placing robotics at the nucleus of its forthcoming developments and will establish a new "Manitou Group Robotics" division commencing this year. Julien Waechter, Vice President of R&D at Manitou Group, elucidates: "Sitia has been a partner with whom we have collaborated for nearly a decade, and which has embarked on its transformation towards cutting-edge robotic activity. Through this acquisition, we shall enrich our capabilities with a team of recognized experts, benefit from proven technological building blocks, coupled with Manitou Group's established know-how. Our aspiration is to thus fortify our leadership position to continue innovating and to advance further in the development of solutions, thereby meeting the evolving expectations of our customers."
Clément Aubry Tardif, Director of the Robotics division, appends: "We are delighted to dedicate our expertise to the service of a leader in material handling. The team is particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of contributing to Manitou Group's new strategic roadmap."
