Milwaukee, Wis.-headquartered Rockwell will add Kitchener, Ont.-based Clearpath to its intelligent devices unit. Neither company disclosed terms of the deal, which they expect to close by the end of the year. Rockwell and Clearpath did not respond to requests for comment. (The Logic)

Talking point: Clearpath started out in 2009 building autonomous wheeled platforms for rugged outdoor settings like mines. In September 2015, it launched its Otto Motors division to make the load-carrying robots that were becoming increasingly common on factory and warehouse floors; three years earlier, Amazon had acquired popular provider Kiva Systems, ultimately cutting off other clients. Clearpath raised capital as recently as May, when Mitsubishi made an undisclosed strategic investment. Otto previously closed a US$29-million Series C from Kensington Private Equity Fund, Inovia Capital and others in June 2020. Acquirer Rockwell reported US$7.76 billion in sales in its fiscal year through September 2022, with the intelligent devices unit accounting for US$3.31 billion. It also bought Toronto-based Fiix, a maintenance SaaS platform in January 2021.