Supply chain technology provider Körber is extending its robotic service partnerships to combine the technology, services and expertise of some of the world’s top solution providers with a new, lower-cost “robotics as a service” offering.
Ever-increasing consumer demand and labor challenges are top of mind for many supply chain executives amid double-digit growth rates in eCommerce. To ensure their supply chain operations are able to survive in today’s digital economy, organizations need to increase efficiency, flexibility and scalability, the German company explained.
Körber’s new Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) program will provide simple access to a global network of robotics service partners for every business size and industry.
This offering will provide unique opportunities to reduce operational costs and time to deployment, by allowing customers to purchase robots “as-a-service”, rather than as one large upfront expenditure.
“The autonomous mobile robots (AMR) sector in particular, has seen tremendous growth in recent years,” explained Joe Couto, Executive Vice President Robotics & 3PL at Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “Customers across the globe are looking for solutions in various operational areas to meet spikes in demand and address complexities around labor, safety and warehouse associates’ wellbeing.
“Körber has made it its mission to help companies worldwide respond to these challenges faster, while keeping fulfillment time and costs as low as possible. Körber’s flexible robotics and accompanying automation solutions have brought scalable fulfillment operations to numerous customers around the globe, and now we are bringing it to the next level.”
Körber’s AMR offerings are a key part of its extensive portfolio of supply chain technology, and the new RaaS option aims to allow broader access for organizations to leverage AMR capabilities. The decision also allows easier access for companies looking to build heterogenous AMR fleets, taking advantage of different AMR use cases from multiple Körber partners.
“The greatest benefit of working with Körber is seizing the opportunities of the digital era through a single source,” added John Santagate, Vice President Robotics & Voice at Körber Business Area Supply Chain. “A lot of organizations continue their investments into automated technologies in the supply chain, but few leverage the potential of integrated solutions. More than ever, businesses need a partner with broad capabilities to conquer supply chain complexity.”
The announcement was made at Körber’s annual user conference, Elevate, held March 12-15, 2023 in Orlando, Florida.
