Ryobi Systems buys warehouse automation firm APT to merge IT with hardware
What's the deal? Ryobi SystemsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired all shares of APTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Chiba-based warehouse automation company, making it a wholly owned subsidiary as of July 31, 2026. The purchase price was not disclosed.
What each side brings: APT designs, installs, and maintains automated storage and material-handling systems for logistics warehouses, posting revenue of ¥2 billion for the year ending July 2025 with 75 employees. Ryobi Systems, founded in 1969, provides IT services across public, medical, and social security sectors, including warehouse management and truck-bay systems.
Why now? Japan's logistics sector faces labour shortages and the so-called "2024 problem," fuelling demand for automation and data use. The two companies plan to combine APT's hardware expertise with Ryobi's IT to optimise entire logistics facilities, from planning and design through construction and operation.
What's the endgame? APT will move beyond system and equipment installation to serve the full supply chain linking manufacturing, distribution, retail, and logistics. It also aims to tap other Ryobi group assets across logistics, transport, construction, and real estate.
What changes: Ryobi COO Yoshitaka Onoda becomes a representative director alongside APT president Ryota Inoue, who keeps his role. The board expands with several Ryobi executives.
The signal: The deal reflects consolidation between IT integrators and physical logistics providers, as warehouse automation increasingly merges software and hardware to address labour gaps and rising demand for digitised supply chains.
Read more: PR Times
Image credit: Apt
