Growth through service

Based in Ilmenau, Germany, MetraLabs GmbH Neue Technologien und Systeme develops and markets mobile service robots that independently collect data and automate processes with a focus on service robots for retail stores. The company offers solutions in areas ranging from planning and development to installation and maintenance. MetraLabs won the Thuringia Innovation Prize in the category of Digital & Media.

MetraLabs GmbH Neue Technologien und Systeme has made a name for itself globally with innovative, mobile service robots. Every day, the TORY robot captures inventory levels and product positions in the warehouse and on the sales floor and thus creates a digital twin of the store. The robot moves entirely autonomously and orients itself on a map, which it creates itself during commissioning and updates on a regular basis. Producers currently rely predominantly on their own tools, processes and components. In addition, the manufacturer market is driven primarily by specialists like MetraLabs. However, most customers are large, multinational corporations, which expect to receive global service for a small number of installations.

MetraLabs was also facing this challenge. “We were looking for an expert service partner with a global orientation and international activities, who could provide a welldesigned and integrated service concept to assist us with our agile growth,” explains Andreas Bley, Managing Director of MetraLabs. The partner needed to provide reliable services for installing and maintaining the service robots globally on the customer’s premises. In addition to worldwide availability, other important considerations were high flexibility, extensive technical expertise and an agile price model.

Fujitsu was able to address these specific requirements with its Selfoss pay-per-use platform. This is a standardized and automated platform that provides access to engineers and technicians throughout the world. MetraLabs books qualified specialists around the globe, who then install and maintain the service robots on site. The company qualifies the technicians through training and documentation, also providing remote support. For example, DECATHLON, the internationally operating manufacturer and retailer of sporting goods, uses MetraLabs service robots in some of its approximately 1,800 stores worldwide. Fujitsu also implemented an equally easy and cost-efficient ticketing solution and takes responsibility for managing the spare parts logistics. This ensures efficient maintenance and repair of the service robots over their entire life cycles.

“Via Selfoss, we recruit the right technical specialists easily, flexibly, and according to demand, so that we can offer expert service in up to 180 countries. We thus give our customers the certainty that they always get reliable, fast and professional services everywhere in the world. We benefit from maximum agility and can scale our services according to demand,” says Andreas Bley. Another advantage of the collaboration with Fujitsu became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. MetraLabs technicians were not allowed to travel because of the lockdown. However, placing local experts via Selfoss made it possible to maintain the service level.