Softbank Group Corp is slashing jobs at its global robotics business and has stopped producing its Pepper robot, according to sources and documents reviewed by Reuters, as the conglomerate downgrades its industry ambitions.
Production of the humanoid Pepper, touted as the first robot with “a heart,” was stopped last year, three sources familiar with the matter and the documents said.
It would be costly to restart production, two of the sources said.
Photo: Reuters
Built by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團) outside of Taiwan, Pepper was meant to help plug labor shortages, but struggled to find a global customer base.
Only 27,000 were produced, one of the sources said.
The pullback reflects the fading of Softbank chief executive Masayoshi Son’s plan to make the company the leader in the robotics industry, producing human-like machines that could serve customers and babysit children.
As part of the retrenchment, Softbank plans to eliminate about half of its 330 positions in France in September, the sources said, cutting into the historical heart of the business, whose origins lie in Softbank’s 2012 acquisition of French robotics firm Aldebaran.
Half of the workers have already been cut from smaller sales operations in the US and UK, three of the sources said, with employees in Japan redeployed from the robotics business.
All the sources declined to be named as they are not permitted to speak to the media.
In France, negotiations on layoffs are ongoing with final numbers not decided, a Softbank spokesperson said.
Staff have also been laid off in the US and UK and redeployed in Japan, the spokesperson said, declining to provide further deals.
Softbank “will continue to make significant investments in next-generation robots to serve our customers and partners,” the French robotics business said in a statement.
The job cuts in France were first reported by French business Web site Le Journal du Net.
Softbank Robotics launched the chest-high Pepper in 2014 and it became the face of the conglomerate, embodying Son’s optimistic vision of a technology-powered future as he built his overseas investing operations.
Behind the scenes, culture clashes between the French business and Tokyo management hurt the robot’s development, and its sales were impacted by its limited functionality and unreliability, the sources said.
Softbank, which propped up Pepper sales by placing the robot in its mobile phone stores, has shifted focus to products such as cleaning robot Whiz. The French business was increasingly sidelined, the sources said.
The conglomerate has been selling assets including the majority of its stake in robotics firm Boston Dynamics Inc as Son focuses more on investing through the Vision Fund.
Softbank retains exposure to robotics and automation technology, owning SB Logistics, and with stakes in robotics firm Berkshire Grey and warehouse robotics firm AutoStore.
Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
UNCERTAINTIES: The world’s biggest chip packager and tester is closely monitoring the US’ tariff policy before making any capacity adjustments, a company official said ASE Technology Holding Inc (日月光投控), the world’s biggest chip packager and tester, yesterday said it is cautiously evaluating new advanced packaging capacity expansion in the US in response to customers’ requests amid uncertainties about the US’ tariff policy. Compared with its semiconductor peers, ASE has been relatively prudent about building new capacity in the US. However, the company is adjusting its global manufacturing footprint expansion after US President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs in April, and new import duties targeting semiconductors and other items that are vital to national security. ASE subsidiary Siliconware Precision Industries Co (SPIL, 矽品精密) is participating in Nvidia
RSS