New Symbotic CTO James Kuffner. Credit score: Toyota
James Kuffner, a renowned robotics expert, has taken on the role of chief knowledge officer at Symbotic Inc., a leading innovator in warehouse automation. Küffner, a leading provider of innovative software solutions, has announced the appointment of Michael Fischler as its new Chief Technology Officer, succeeding George Dramalis who retired in January after serving for five years in the role. 1, 2025. Kuffner is accountable for driving technological advancements and fostering sustainable growth within the corporation.
“Rick Cohen, chairman and CEO of , noted that James possesses over three decades of robust management experience in the field of robotics.” “He has been instrumental in driving innovation by spearheading pioneering technological breakthroughs at the esteemed institutions of Toyota, Google, and Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.”
Kuffner has enjoyed a distinguished career in robotics, with significant contributions to autonomous vehicles, cloud robotics, and other technologies. Having spent over nine years at various organizations in multiple management positions, he has joined Symbotic.
During his tenure of over six years, Kuffner dedicated himself to the development of autonomous vehicles and robotics. He co-founded Google’s robotics division in 2013 and played a key role in the early engineering team that developed Google’s autonomous vehicle group, now commonly referred to as Waymo.
Kuffner coined ‘cloud robotics’
In 2010, Kuffner introduced the concept of “Cloud Robotics” to describe how network-connected robots can leverage distributed computing and vast amounts of data stored in the cloud. Küffner served as an affiliate professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute from 2002 to 2008, teaching and conducting primary research in both computer science and robotics fields.
Kaufmann is credited as a co-inventor of the rapid-exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm, a widely recognized benchmark for evaluating and comparing robotic motion planning strategies. With a career marked by significant contributions to his field, he has published more than 125 technical papers and amassed over 50 patents.
“After nine exceptional years at Toyota, I have decided to launch a fresh adventure with Symbotic,” Kuffner stated in a . “There’s never been a more electrifying era for developing and deploying cutting-edge robotics and AI innovations.” Are you genuinely committed to joining an elite team dedicated to tackling unprecedented and extraordinary projects? We’re hiring!”
Symbotic continues to scale
By 2024, the industry will continue to ride the wave of automation. The Massachusetts-based company leverages cutting-edge technologies such as high-density storage, autonomous cellular robots, and machine learning to address complex logistics hurdles for top-tier retailers, wholesalers, and grocery chains worldwide.
Its checklist of consumers contains Walmart, Goal, C&S Wholesalers, Albertsons, and others. has previously announced that it will be rolling out the new system across all 42 of its regional distribution centers. The retailer has acquired a significant equity position in Symbotic.
Symbotic reported $1.8 billion in revenue for 2024, a 55% year-over-year increase. The company reported a net income of $577 million, generated internet revenue of $28 million, and achieved an adjusted EBITDA of $55 million for the fourth quarter. The company has submitted an Internet revenue projection of $51 million for 2024.
Symbotic has recently launched a new corporate entity, Symbotic Mexico, S.A., expanding its global footprint. de R.L. Establishing a subsidiary de C.V. allows us to better serve clients in Mexico while capitalizing on the growing global need for efficient warehouse automation solutions.
The company has made at least two significant robotics-related acquisitions in 2024. In August, the corporation significantly acquired the entirety of the property in question. Veo’s FreeMove technology enables the safe integration of industrial robots into collaborative workspaces, effectively transforming them into human-friendly machines.
In December 2024, Symbotic, a Silicon Valley-based developer of innovative healthcare robots, will… The companies involved did not provide financial details regarding the deal.
By 2015, OhmniLabs had developed a range of innovative products, including disinfection and telepresence robots. The company employed an in-house developed approach to improvement and manufacturing, claiming it hastened their time-to-market process.
Symbotic’s strategic acquisition of OhmniLabs positions the company to significantly enhance its automation capabilities and better serve its supply chain clients with improved efficiency and scalability. It prioritizes providing cutting-edge innovations to customers across the entire business.
