SoftBank Robotics and Keenon Robotics Announce Strategic Global Partnership, Driving Productivity and Efficiency for the Service Industry
(1)Globally, the delivery robot market is forecast to grow at an annual growth rate of 17.7% by 2027
SoftBank Robotics Group Corp (SBRG), a worldwide leader in robotics solutions, today announced a global partnership with Keenon Robotics, the global leading AI company focusing on indoor intelligent service robots. This global launch is a follow-up from SoftBank World event announcement on 15th Sept 2021 that SoftBank Robotics is collaborating with Keenon Robotics on a global strategic partnership.
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SBRG and Keenon Robotics will work together to expand the use of robotics systems in the service industry that will allow better efficiency and productivity. The increased operational efficiency gained from service robots will allow businesses to allocate more time and resources for service crews to refocus on customer service.
Keenon Robotics has long been the market leader in China for providing intelligent autonomous delivery solutions with cutting edge technology in the commercial service robot industry. SBRG currently has offices globally.
As Asia Pacific Delivery Robot Market1 is projected to have the largest hold, with a share of around 27.1% in the global delivery robot industry, SBRG has its eyes on the APAC market, starting with Singapore as its launchpad.
In line with Singapore’s vision and initiatives to become a Smart Nation, SBRG aims to launch a series of robots that will support the government’s initiative and accelerate the adoption of robotics technology in industries such as F&B, cleaning, hospitality, security, healthcare, logistics and more. Advances in robotics and technology will lead to job transformation over the next few years.
Global partnership with Keenon Robotics
As part of the global expansion, SBRG will be working with various stakeholders in both the public and private sectors to encourage the adoption of robotics in their respective fields. The growth in digitalisation, automation and robotics in the services sector with the use of AI will foster growth of the delivery robotics market.
Embracing robotics solutions in key markets
Keenbot by Keenon Robotics will be launched in key SBRG’s markets starting with Singapore and Japan followed by Europe, Middle East and the United States. The Keenbot solution is equipped with multi-point delivery modes and is able to deliver four dishes at one time which is particularly suited for the service industry.
The robot has an intelligent scheduling system, obstacle avoidance, flexible structure and speed limit in smart zones as part of its workflow processes making it the right technology to use in tandem with human capabilities.
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With the current disruption from the pandemic-induced lockdowns, technological adoption in the form of robotics by businesses will transform tasks, jobs and skills. In addition, Singapore’s focus on being a Smart Nation and its mission to become a knowledge-based and innovative country encouraged SBRG to choose the nation as its international launchpad to announce the global partnership with Keenon Robotics. Local Food and Beverage operators are also seeing the rise of integrating robotics solutions in their operations.
“The service industry, particularly the F&B sector, has been facing a constant challenge of manpower shortage for a very long time now. Whereas we have been using robotic technology in our kitchens to increase our productivity, this will be the first time that we will deploy robotic solutions in our front-of-house operations. Most of our restaurants are full-service restaurants and at Tung Lok, we take service very seriously. We do not expect these robots to replace the human element in our service, but rather, we hope for these robots to further complement and enhance our service efficiency,” said Andrew Tjioe, President & CEO, Tung Lok Group.
“As a platform that serves the everyday needs of consumers, merchants and delivery-partners, we are continually seeking new ways to enhance their overall user experience, and experiment innovative solutions to address real life challenges. We are thrilled to partner with Keenon Robotics to introduce its AI-enabled service robots to GrabKitchen at Hillview, our cloud kitchen that houses more than 20 F&B brands. We look forward to improving the agility of our operations and reduce repetitive and manual processes with the help of the robots. The robots will also enable us to better protect our Grabbers’ wellbeing with the reduction of physical contact touch points,” said Yee Wee Tang, Managing Director, Grab Singapore.
Generating profitable opportunities through global partnerships
“At SoftBank Robotics, it is all about leveraging the technologies of tomorrow to create better solutions,” said SoftBank Robotics Corp., Kenichi Yoshida, Chief Business Officer. “The partnership with Keenon Robotics, the global leading AI company focusing on indoor intelligent service robots will allow us to deliver cutting edge solutions as an integrated system to increase capability and efficiency in the service industry as well as achieve greater savings.”
“We are proud to partner with SoftBank Robotics, the leader in the robotics solutions industry,” said Keenon Robotics, Tony Li, Chief Executive Officer. “As the cost of labour increases, technology becomes an affordable solution creating an increased appetite for automation alongside human tasks. The Keenbot is one such example of a solution that is meant for convenience and performs well when completing repetitive operational tasks that require precision.”
