Sam Nussey

TOKYO, Reuters – SoftBank Group Corp has been in discussions to sell its Paris-based robotics company behind Pepper android to Germany’s United Robotics Group. According to documents and sources reviewed by Reuters it is scaling down a business that was once a key growth driver.

According to two people familiar with this matter who refused to give their names because they don’t have permission to speak to media, talks are continuing and plans might change. SoftBank is uncertain if it will keep a share in the company.

United Robotics Group is the European master distributer for SoftBank’s Nao, Pepper, and Pepper robots. It was founded by German robot manufacturer Hahn.

United Robotics did not respond to our request for comment. SoftBank stated that it is committed to Pepper.

Reuters reported in June https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-softbank-shrinks-robotics-business-stops-pepper-production-sources-2021-06-28 that SoftBank had stopped production of Pepper and slashed jobs at its robotics business globally. France was home to roughly half of the 330 employees. This is France’s operation since 2012, when SoftBank acquired Aldebaran. Aldebaran custom-designed Pepper.

Due to low morale, additional employees have left, which has forced SoftBank to place advertisements for key functions. According to sources and review of job postings, SoftBank is now required to do so.

United Robotics maintains offices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland according to their website. Sources say that the company hired recently departed SoftBank personnel in areas like sales.

SoftBank, which is riven by a culture divide between its European workforce and Japanese managers, has a dwindling stock of aging Pepper units https://www.reuters.com/article/us-softbank-group-pepper-focus-idCAKBN2ER0JK and components approaching obsolescence, Reuters reported previously.

United Robotics is a company that sells Pepper, Nao and a small, humanoid robot. It also offers Sawyer robots, which are industrial robots that can be used alongside people.

SoftBank has restructured its focus to sell third party hardware after the failure of Pepper’s commercial business.

Conglomerate created parallel operations in Britain to sell its products, decreasing dependence on Paris-based businesses.

According to Reuters, SoftBank engineers from France worked on a project that would design a robot to serve as a servant called Plato.

Sources said that Japanese managers had delayed ordering the robot. SoftBank also has deals with outside companies to purchase similar robots, reducing the viability commercially of its product.