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Simbe is now selling and deploying large fleets of its Tally inventory scanning robots to large retailers. | Credit: Simbe

Simbe Robotics has partnered with Plexus Corp. to manufacture its Tally inventory scanning robot to meet growing demand. Plexus will assist Simbe’s growing operations and customer base, which spans numerous countries, and enable the company to meet surging interest from prospective retail partners globally.

Plexus is an electronics manufacturing services and contract manufacturer. Plexus has helped many companies in a variety of industries to design, develop, manufacture and deploy new solutions and services. Other Plexus customers include: Avery Dennison Corp, Google Cloud, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, NVIDIA, and others.

“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, Plexus’ market sector vice president – industrial. “Our partnership bolsters Simbe’s state-of-the-art technology in support of Plexus’ vision to help create products that build a better world.”

“Throughout our first year of work together, Plexus has proven their commitment to supply chain, capacity, and quality to facilitate global production,” said Gary Galensky, COO, Simbe. “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.”

Rising demand for inventory management solutions

In March 2024, Simbe released a research report that surveyed 150 retail decision-makers across the U.S. to assess industry pain points and technology adoption. The findings revealed that everyday operational challenges remain widespread across retail. Retailers reported in-store inefficiencies costing at least 4.5% of revenue. Respondents also reported low visibility into out-of-stocks (45%), planogram compliance (43%), price and promotion (40%) and assortment planning (32%).

This news follows a year of steady growth for Simbe. In 2023, it recorded a 3x increase in its subscription revenue base. Earlier in the year, the company successfully launched a chain-wide deployment with BJ’s Wholesale Club.

In February, Simbe deployed 60 Tally inventory robots to SpartanNash stores, a milestone that the solution has matured and is able to deliver valuable data to store managers.

This is good news for the company as it has been a long road to success since its founding in 2014. Simbe was recently awarded an RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award for the BJ’s Wholesale Club deal.