IFS’s ambition is to make warehouse management a largely automated process. To achieve this, the company is acquiring Softeon.
The warehouse management market is growing by 12 percent annually, and IFS sees an opportunity to tap into this lucrative sector. Through partnerships with Boston Dynamics and 1X Technologies, it already has a focus on robotics, a technology that is becoming increasingly important in warehouses.
Big contrast
The contrast that IFS draws between warehouse management of the past and modern warehouse management is striking. We deliberately refer to it in English, as is often the case with digitizing technologies, because that is the direction in which warehouses are moving. Legacy systems, according to IFS, run on manual processes and still use paper as they always have. The combination of AI agents and robotics should lead to automated order picking, reduced manual labor, and real-time insight into all processes. Softeon already specializes in this.
For IFS, the acquisition is therefore a way to further focus its own product portfolio on industrial environments. Earlier this year, the company acquired TheLoops for agentic AI capabilities that will come in handy here. It also entered into a partnership with Anthropic for industrial AI applications. Softeon fits into that same strategy: applying industrial AI where it really counts.
Robotics takes center stage
As mentioned, the combination of IFS and Softeon should enable fully autonomous warehouse environments. Robots from companies such as Boston Dynamics and 1X Technologies will work together with IFS Loops Digital Workers to orchestrate complex warehouse processes.
Traditional suppliers are struggling to integrate modern AI and robotics into old architectures. According to CEO Mark Moffat, IFS and Softeon offer a fundamentally different proposition. “The warehouse is the next frontier for Industrial AI. Warehouse operations need to become as intelligent and autonomous as the production lines they support.”
He continues: “Softeon brings proven warehouse expertise to IFS. We deliver next-generation AI, robotics orchestration, and deep industrial domain knowledge. Together, we are redefining what is possible when you apply Industrial AI where it matters most: on the warehouse floor, in real time, with measurable impact on throughput, accuracy, and workforce capacity.”
Customers in complex industries
For IFS customers in aerospace, defense, energy, construction, and transportation, the acquisition delivers immediate value. Advanced global enterprises need warehouse capabilities that match the complexity of their production systems. Softeon’s WMS (Warehouse Management System) and WES (Warehouse Execution System) solutions, now enhanced with IFS.ai, deliver just that.
It enables end-to-end supply chain orchestration where manufacturing, warehouse execution, and field service operations work as a single intelligent system. Jim Hoefflin, CEO of Softeon, sees it as an extraordinary opportunity. “Our customers were asking for advanced AI capabilities, seamless integration with robotics, and stronger connectivity between warehouse operations and broader supply chain processes. IFS delivers exactly that.”
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval. IFS expects to complete the deal in the first quarter of 2026.