Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.68
October 14, 2023
…necessarily afford [robots] or that wanted to take the capex route to investing in flexible automation.” The Körber program taps Locus’s RaaS, but it also can provide other partner systems, said Couto. It can even bundle multiple partner systems into a RaaS program for one customer, add in some software functionality from Körber, or even bundle in automation like put walls or voice. Robotics can effectively achieve measurable productivity gains, so the ability to move the costs into the opex bucket is an enticing option for companies struggling to find enough people for mostly manual operations, Couto said. “You’re either…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 11.39
April 04, 2023
…automation as a strategic long-term investment and competitive differentiator. Capex vs. opex models: Dated capital expenditure models are delaying rapid adoption of automation at scale. Proven value: New technologies have to do a better job at proving value in environments with more financial discipline and to compete with other types of tech investments. Respondents were not interested in “science projects.” Source: Vecna Robotics When it comes to adopting automation at scale, the barriers remain spread. Cost and ROI remained the top barriers (44%) but was followed closely by training/change management (43%). Implementation complexity (39%), integration challenge (38%), and operational fit…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.57
March 16, 2023
…Comparing traditional business models works for established businesses, like capex [capital expenditures] and automotive manufacturers. But what about bleeding-edge technologies? It's all about certainty. Customers will pay money when they're very confident a product or service will work out and that the company has a track record of deploying on a large scale. Common objections to automation include: “It's too bleeding-edge.” “I don't want to be a guinea pig.” “I prefer gross margins.” “There are not enough referrals. We want more proof points.” “We're not sure we can meet KPIs [key performance indicators].” “The provider has existential risks.” In addition,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.42
February 16, 2023
…automation going forward.” Only time will tell, but there do appear to be several new angles on the established capex model that make this worth considering.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 6.89
February 14, 2023
…is available in two purchase models: robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) and capex (outright purchase). Several customers in the U.S. and Europe plan to roll it out in their warehouses in 2023, according to the company. “Our pilots with a 3PL, a large grocer and a smaller grocer, and a pharmacy/e-commerce provider are booked for this year. We can barely keep up with the demand we are seeing,” Zizka said “The system in our video [see below] has already completed 100,000 orders in a grocery environment.” Brightpick will be showing its technology at ProMat in Chicago next month and at LogiMAT in Stuttgart,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.65
January 09, 2023
…Intelligent Machines Inc. offer a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) business model, which provides world-class automation packaged with all-inclusive service at zero CapEx cost. This subscription-based model gives customers the resources to deploy their own full-stack robots. Your factory can be automated and increase productivity and efficiency in record time. These workcells can eliminate financial risks and provide service with a dedicated 24/7 support system, provisioning, and equipment maintenance.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.04
December 09, 2022
…not “set and forget.” If they're bought as pure capex [capital expenditure], it's a massive missed opportunity. Robotics as a service [RaaS] is a more iterative approach and more of an opex [operational expenditure] play. Software is the true enabler here. With machine learning opportunities, every time an advanced robot interacts with its environment, it should be getting smarter. You need a feedback loop to get the most out of automation. RaaS and customer expectations Speaking of RaaS, what do you mean—leasing, renting, etc.? Dryer: RaaS can be configured in different ways. First and foremost, it could just be the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 12.91
November 28, 2022
…options—from full RaaS to hardware and software, or partly capex [capital expenditures] and software as a service [SaaS]. These models are more attractive to customers because of a more reasonable service fee. Or, you could have more capex or opex [operating expenses], which gives us and customers some flexibility. Since Ottobot 2.0 launched in August, we've had 10 to 12 new customers, so there are more learnings to go on which is better for each. People love RaaS, but customers are also realizing they want the “stickiness” of a service model but want to get rid of some capex right…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 10.13
October 04, 2022
…own orders.” Not only does this reduce capital expenditures (capex) and enable fleets to scale between peak and off-peak periods, but RaaS also enables inVia to remotely troubleshoot, said Elazary. “In a deployment we did with another customer, a robot escaped from one zone into another—from fulfillment to kitting,” he recalled. “We take care of issues before customers even notice them so they see the system as flawless.” “3PLs have thin margins and three-year contracts with retailers—how does capex work over 10 years?” asked Moore. “Most of our newest customers have been 3PLs.” WMS and data help scale fulfillment “We…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.62
September 01, 2022
…Georgiev: While RaaS is popular, we sell systems as capex [capital expenditures]. We're in traditional automation and sell machines directly. It's better for ROI [return on investment] because the device monitors itself. What are some examples of applications or types of orders that are best addressed with dual-robot each picking from totes? Georgiev: We've only scratched the surface for applications. For the past four years, MHS has focused on parcels for express couriers. With dynamic neural networks, it's now more possible to pick from random totes for fulfillment. How much of the training on parcels or SKUs is done by…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.26
June 13, 2022
…trash and dunnage With a low capital expenditure or CapEx and a three-day installation, Waytek increased productivity, doubled throughput, and reclaimed up to 15% of its floor space, said Lawton. Robot deployments accelerate with demand “In many cases, people are skipping the proofs of concept or pilots and are moving straight into deployment of robots,” Lawton said. “They need to get systems in before peak season starts in September or October.” “Compared with three years ago, people have moved from curiosity about robots to recognizing where they can add value. I've never seen this level of urgency,” he told Robotics…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.83
May 08, 2022
…prefer to buy the entire solution (i.e., a pure CapEx investment), 24% say they would rather use the RaaS option, and 22% say they would prefer to buy the robot hardware but subscribe to the software via a hybrid approach. Customer satisfaction guaranteed When investing in robotics solutions, more than half of respondents (53.8%) say payback is an “extremely important” factor in the decision. Robots are living up to expectations in the real-world applications where they’re being put to work. Asked whether their existing installations lived up to early expectations, over 60% of companies say their total cost-of-ownership objectives were…
