Automation fund raises $900 million

The Fund will pursue equity investment opportunities that harness a range of technologies – from software and artificial intelligence to robotics and additive manufacturing to systems design and integration – driving automation in eComm, distribution and logistics, as well as other sectors.

THL has substantial experience investing in automation. Since 2017, the firm’s affiliated funds and co-investors have deployed approximately $2 billion of equity in four platform companies and eight add-on transactions in the sector. THL’s current automation platform companies include Autostore, Material Handling Systems and Fortna.

Jim Carlisle, managing director leading the Automation Fund said: “Automation is everywhere in the news now as a result of the pandemic, but the reality is that the return on investment from automation was already high for businesses that deployed automation pre-pandemic. We started building our thesis, network and capability years ago because the fundamental drivers of adoption — labour pressures, business resiliency, efficiency gains, throughput improvements and more — were already top of mind for business leaders across sectors.”