Autonomous transport specialist Aurrigo International has raised £14.1m to accelerate growth, expand its manufacturing capacity and increase its technical and engineering teams.
The Coventry-based company, which works with seven airports worldwide, has secured £9.75m from Next Gen Mobility, with further backing from existing and new investors as part of a new share placing.
The finance will support the creation of multiple demonstrator vehicles, the potential relocation to a larger engineering and manufacturing centre, and scaling production to meet growing airport demand. Aurrigo also plans to grow its 110-strong workforce to handle increasing volumes and upcoming deployments currently under discussion.
“We are delighted to welcome Next Gen as a strategic investor and are grateful for the support of both our existing and new investors,” said Professor David Keene MBE, CEO of Aurrigo International plc. “The significant funds raised will provide additional firepower to expand our operations and team, as we focus on the successful launch and go-to-market of our leading autonomous solutions for aviation, including Auto-DollyTug® for baggage operations, Auto-Shuttle® for moving passengers and Auto-Cargo®, our biggest model yet for cargo handling.”
The announcement follows a busy period for Aurrigo, which recently unveiled a partnership with Swissport to conduct its first global pilot of autonomous ground handling technologies at Zurich Airport. The initiative includes deployment of its Auto-Sim® simulation platform and a live trial of Auto-DollyTug® to explore new efficiencies in airside operations.
Keene added: “We have already identified potential future commercial opportunities with Next Gen, especially around UK projects focused on implementing pods and rapid passenger transport systems. In the medium term, we are also exploring the potential of setting up an additional offshore manufacturing operation that could help us gain entry into the South Asian and South East Asian aviation markets.”
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