Thomas Unise
Munich-based modular robotics company RobCo recently opened its U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, secured $100 million in Series C funding, and commissioned a survey of 400 U.S. industrial decision-makers to assess automation readiness across various sectors.
Key Findings from the Automation Readiness Index
The most striking revelation from RobCo’s research is the severe labor shortage facing manufacturing industries. According to CEO Roman Hölzl, more than 1.6 million manufacturing jobs will remain unfilled in the coming years across the U.S. and Europe, creating an urgent need for automation solutions with clear ROI.
Hölzl emphasized that robot developers must sharpen their value propositions, focusing on productivity improvements as the benchmark for success: “Can our customers take on more orders, can they improve the output, and improve their productivity levels?”
The Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) Model
RobCo is addressing traditional robotics challenges through its Robots-as-a-Service business model, which offers several advantages:
- Monthly pricing equivalent to a human worker’s cost (approximately $2,000-$10,000 per month per shift)
- Deployment timelines of weeks rather than quarters
- Elimination of high six to seven-figure upfront capital expenditures
- Solutions accessible to non-expert users
This approach is particularly beneficial for mid-cap manufacturers and enterprises that either lack the financial resources for large capital investments or prefer to maintain automation costs as operational expenses rather than balance sheet liabilities.
Industry Trends for 2025-2026
Hölzl identified reshoring of production capacities to Western nations as a continuing trend, coupled with cost pressures previously managed through Chinese suppliers. This combination creates demand for fast-deploying, attractively priced, and simple-to-use automation solutions that work for both mid-sized companies and large enterprises.
Organizational Structure for RaaS Companies
Addressing the challenges of running both subscription and capital expenditure sales models simultaneously, Hölzl advocated for organizational simplicity. He distinguished between two business approaches: a recurring revenue service model for direct customer deployments with deep software integration, and a separate CapEx model for co-selling with OEM partners. Each requires different teams, incentives, and operational structures.
With its substantial funding, RobCo aims to become “the dominant AI robotics company for manufacturing in the U.S. and Europe” while pursuing its mission of “automating the ordinary, so humans can do the extraordinary.”
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