MARCK has advised the Munich-based technology company Agile Robots AG on its entry as majority shareholder and strategic investor in the Munich-based idealworks GmbH. The transaction was primarily advised by ARQIS. In close cooperation with ARQIS, MARCK has advised Agile Robots on antitrust and merger control in relation to the transaction.

The BMW Group subsidiary, founded at the end of 2020, is a deep tech company that significantly promotes industrial automation in production and logistics by developing a robotics ecosystem. Agile Robots, a spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), produces robotic-based solutions for the consumer electronics and automotive industries. As strategic partners, idealworks and Agile Robots complement each other both in their industry expertise and in their complementary range of solutions as well as in their strive for international expansion.

The investment in idealworks offers both future partners extensive growth potential: Agile Robots is active in major regions of the world and, in addition to its expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence, provides to idealworks its global network. idealworks brings in the BMW Group as one of its largest customers as well as its industrial know-how. Following the first successfully completed customer projects in the USA, idealworks global business will expand to the Asia-Pacific region as early as next year. In a dynamic competitive environment, both companies rely on cross-process platforms that enable the simultaneous integration of several robots – including devices from third-party providers. Artificial intelligence is a key success factor when using heterogeneous robot fleets in complex environments and when creating digital twins for planning and simulation purposes.

The transaction is subject to prior approval by the relevant authorities. Financial details of the transaction will not be disclosed.

ARQIS: Dr. Christoph von Einem and Thomas Chwalek MARCK: Dr. Georg Schmittmann