• Experienced partner offering an innovative subscription model with no upfront purchase price
  • RaaS provides customers the ability to scale up and down rapidly to changing market conditions or seasonal demand such as Christmas and Black Friday
  • Automation of fulfilment for increased productivity in warehousing and logistics

Frankfurt, 23 March 2023 – GRS (Global Robotics Services), a provider of leasing solutions for the automation of fulfilment, warehousing and logistics, is entering the German market with its innovative robotics as a service (RaaS) solution.

GRS is the robotics arm of GLP, the leading global business builder in logistics, digital infrastructure, renewable energy and related technologies. GRS is an innovative platform for customers seeking to improve the productivity of logistics operations through robotics. With flexible subscriptions, intelligent robots and a full range of services, GRS targets large corporates as well as medium-sized enterprises in the third party logistics, express carrier, e-commerce, cosmetics, fashion and pharmaceutical retail markets and in other online retail segments.

Many e-commerce companies are facing strained supply chains, fluctuating demand and inflation-related cost increases. Depending on the geographical region, labour shortages are also a factor, slowing recruitment while employee turnover increases. In this situation, automating fulfilment, warehousing and logistics can be an excellent solution to increase companies’ efficiency and productivity, whilst also making the warehouse safer for labourers. However, the high upfront purchase price is frequently an obstacle to automation.

Jens Müller, Sales Director for Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, GRS, said: “We offer customers a one-stop solution based on an innovative subscription model with no upfront purchase price and no long-term CAPEX. The costs are oriented toward use, with payment based on their desired level of service. Our customers do not incur any asset risks and by automating their fulfilment, warehousing and logistics processes, they gain a clear market share.”

An advantage through RaaS

RaaS provides a space-saving, efficient solution and a high-quality comprehensive service, allowing tenants to streamline operations and maximise productivity in the warehouse. The full package of services from GRS includes consultation, planning, provision of robots, installation and maintenance, as well as adaptation in response to changing market trends. GRS is able to tailor the scale and type of service to its customers’ requirements.

Once the contract is signed at the end of the test phase, it takes about three months to reach productive use. Depending on the customer’s specific needs, the configuration can range from 600 to 6,000 destinations.

RaaS versus acquisition

In contrast to RaaS, owning robotics infrastructure requires companies to make a substantial investment, both in the upfront acquisition cost and in ongoing maintenance, which is typically expensive and difficult to project.

The situation is entirely different with RaaS solutions; with a leased system, easily calculable operating costs take the place of the long-term capital investment. GRS thus offers its customers the opportunity to make reliable forecasts regarding their return on investment for use of the system.

Hongming Chen, CEO, GRS, said: “In comparison to purchased systems, RaaS offers three main advantages: a clear cost advantage, greater flexibility and more security. By allowing customers to avoid capital costs and dial up or down robotics services depending on demand, RaaS overcomes the barrier of uncertainty around robotics. We’re proud to be at the forefront of accelerating the adoption of automation in logistics; the German market is the next step in the European rollout of GRS, following our successful implementation of over [20 million] cumulative RaaS services in Asia and North America to date.”

***

Press contact:

Peter Tasch                                               
Tasch Communications
Phone: +49 (0)69 24 44 68 07
E-mail:   [email protected]