Malaysia’s DF Automation & Robotics raised $ 1.85 M funding round from Vynn Capital
DF Automation & Robotics (DF Auto), a robotics company based in Malaysia, has raised $1.85 million to support its growth objectives.
Through its mobility and supply chain fund, which is supported by KWAP, Sime Darby Berhad, MAVCAP, and other strategic limited partners, Malaysia-based Vynn Capital is spearheading the investment round, the company announced on Friday.
Additionally, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), a second-time investor, Leave a Nest Capital, a new investor from Japan, and individual investors via equity crowdfunding participated in the investment round.
The statement said that DF Auto has customers in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Ireland, and Malta.
“This investment will momentously support our business growth and expansion. Additionally, the strategic collaboration with our investment partners will enable us to leverage their extensive expertise in finance, business growth, and customer networking for the growth of DF Auto.” said Dr Yeong Che Fai, Co-Founder and CEO of DF Auto.
Three engineers, Tan Ping Hua, Ricky Yap Wee Yang, and Dr. Yeong Che Fai, who had a strong interest in robotics and met at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), founded DF Auto in 2012. The three came together with the goal of using robotic automation to address the growing labor costs that the region’s booming manufacturing sector was facing.
DF Auto, a domestic startup in Malaysia, is capable of designing and producing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for a range of industries.
When it comes to automating intralogistics in line with the smart factory transformation, an AMR is a mobile robot that can move from one place to another on its own.
Reducing labor dependency, improving efficiency, and improving safety are additional advantages of AMRs, especially for jobs involving repetitive, heavy loads that could endanger people.
Each of DF Auto’s AMR model series—Zalpha, Zetha, Zamma, Titan, and Zoei—is made for a distinct set of loads, uses, and capacities. Mostly multinational corporations (MNCs) from important international industries make up the startup’s esteemed clientele.
These industries include the production of semiconductors, automotive, aerospace, food and beverage (F&B), electronics and electrical (E&E), and healthcare services. DF Auto ships its robots to many nations.
Estimates from Statista Market Insights indicate that by 2029, the global industrial robot market will bring in $11.4 billion. With smaller manufacturers accounting for half of the global industrial robotics market revenues in 2022, DF Auto is optimistic that it can gain a significant market share in the coming years.
With their innovative technologies and tailored solutions for their customers, DF Auto has established a solid reputation.
Notable projects include Mak Cik Kiah 19 (MCK19), which helped deliver food and medication to the rooms of COVID patients, and more recently, Zoei, an AMR with omnidirectional navigation that can move in any direction in a two-dimensional plane, advancing safety and speeding up tasks. Additionally, its proprietary operating system, Navigation Wizard (NavWiz), and DFleet, along with the comprehensive maintenance assistance that DF Auto provides to its global clientele, establish a cohesive and user-friendly ecosystem throughout its wide array of products.
“As a venture capital firm, we stand behind great founders who are able to observe long-term opportunities and be able to build meaningful products that are customer centric. We believe the team in DF Auto is ready to bring the business to the next level, and hence Vynn Capital is ready to support the team with the ecosystem that we have built”, said Victor Chua, Vynn Capital’s Founding & Managing Partner.
