Car giant Toyota invests in Croatia’s Gideon

Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), along with its subsidiaries Toyota Material Handling Group and Toyota Automated Logistics Group, has finalised an investment agreement with Croatian robotics and AI firm, Gideon, the company said in a press release on Thursday.

Gideon specialises in developing advanced Autonomous Mobile Robotics (AMR) technology for automating warehouse and manufacturing processes and has entities not only in Croatia, but also in North America.

This strategic partnership offers TICO opportunities to streamline its automated vehicle systems, focusing on standardisation, faster deployment, and improved flexibility.

TICO’s autonomous vehicle software division, T-Hive, will integrate Gideon’s technologies into its global vehicle automation efforts. Gideon’s sophisticated AI algorithms will enhance TICO’s capabilities, particularly in areas like trailer unloading, loading, and collaborative retail order picking.

For Gideon, the partnership provides access to Toyota’s global manufacturing expertise and extensive service network.

Gideon CEO, Josip Ćesić, emphasised that combining Toyota’s manufacturing strength with Gideon’s innovative robotics technology creates significant value for the automation industry.

“Toyota’s long-standing legacy as a pioneer in lean manufacturing practices, driven by a relentless commitment to quality, innovation, and sustainability, underpins their expertise with both manual and automated material handling equipment. Their unparalleled manufacturing capacity, coupled with a robust global sales and service network, combined with Gideon’s cutting-edge autonomy and application technology, creates a groundbreaking value proposition for the warehouse and manufacturing automation sector,” said Ćesić

TICO’s Senior Executive Officer, Norio Wakabayashi, highlighted that Gideon’s advanced vision modules and intelligent automation would enhance the company’s leading position in automated vehicles.

“Gideon has developed impressive vision modules enabling flexible, intelligent autonomous behavior and user and deployment friendliness that will provide added value for our customers in the coming years. TICO already holds a strong position in automated vehicles, but this strategic investment underlines our commitment to delivering market leading mobile automation,” said Wakabayashi.