German technology group Körber has unveiled plans to extend e-fulfilment through robotics-as-a-service (RaaS).

Ever-increasing consumer demand and labour challenges are top of mind for many supply chain executives amid double-digit growth rates in ecommerce. To ensure their supply chain operations can survive in today’s digital economy, organisations need to increase efficiency, flexibility and scalability.

Adding to a depth and breadth of supply chain technologies spanning warehouse management, warehouse control, voice, order management, simulation and more, Körber has unveiled its plans to extend its robotic service partnerships to combine technology, services and expertise.

Körber’s RaaS programme will provide simple access to a global network of robotics service partners for every business size and industry, emphasising Körber’s value on collaboration and dedication to meeting its customer’s needs. This offering will provide 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,” said Joe Couto, executive vice president at Körber. “Customers across the globe are looking for solutions in various operational areas to meet spikes in demand and address complexities around labour, safety and warehouse associates’ wellbeing. Körber has made it its mission to help companies worldwide respond to these challenges faster, while keeping fulfilment time and costs as low as possible. Körber’s flexible robotics and accompanying automation have brought scalable fulfilment operations to numerous customers around the globe, and now we are bringing it to the next level.”

The AMR offerings are a key part of Körber’s portfolio of supply chain technology, and the RaaS option aims to allow broader access for organisations 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,” said John Santagate, vice president at Körber. “A lot of organisations continue their investments into automated technologies in the supply chain, but few leverage the potential of integrations. 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, this month in Orlando, Florida.