Traction for As A Service" Financing

 

The flexibility and scalability of “as-a-service” has the potential to change the way robotic solutions are implemented at the customer level.  Deploying robotics requires far more than buying a machine and plopping it down on a factory floor.  As a result,  As A Service solutions have increased in popularity.  Below is an excerpt from an A3 article on the subject: 

“As-a-service” models are defined by a good or service being made available “as needed” (this could be monthly pricing or usage based pricing). Upfront costs are usually negligible or non-existent. Contract lengths are flexible, allowing users to take advantage of the good or service only as they need it. The business assumes the responsibility for servicing and upgrades throughout the duration of the contract. 
These models have exploded in popularity due to the instant flexibility, scalability, risk reduction, and cost-savings that they enable, particularly in this era of unprecedented uncertainty and rapidity of change.
“As-a-service” business models are rapidly gaining traction across many verticals.  According to Forrester, businesses should prepare to compete with “anything-as-a-service.”

Flexible financing programs, such as leases, have existed in the robotics industry for a long time. However, those models only relieve a portion of the complexity of a true “robotics-as-a-service” offering.