Sercel has acquired a 34% stake in AMBPR, a start-up company that designs and markets autonomous robots for repairing (sanding and painting) ships.
Sercel has acquired a 34% stake in AMBPR, a start-up company that designs and markets autonomous robots for repairing (sanding and painting) ships.
The two companies have also signed an agreement whereby Sercel will manufacture AMBPR robots at its Saint- Gaudens site in France. The terms will increase Sercel’s stake in AMBPR to 51% in 2021.
Since its creation in 2017, AMBPR has developed a prototype robot based on an instrumented articulating boom lift that can work autonomously to clean, sand and paint the sides of ships in dry dock. With the manufacturing support of Sercel, AMBPR expects to sell its first units within the next six months.
The ship repair market has significant potential with 90,000 ships of more than 50 m in length periodically repainted at 600 dry docks worldwide, said Sercel.
Emmanuelle Dubu, CEO of Sercel, said: ‘This initiative is an opportunity to broaden the range of potential markets for our technology and know-how beyond the oil and gas industry and diversify production at our Saint- Gaudens site.’
