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Midlands company offers robots for hire from £2.70 per hour
Published:  25 February, 2019

A West Midlands company believes it is the first in the UK to offer robots for hire, with prices starting at £2.70 per hour. Halesowen-based Bots Automation has secured an investment of £1m to back its business model which, it says, is already popular in the US.

It is offering a range of robotic arms to perform tasks such assembly, CNC machining, painting, screwing and picking-and-placing. With many UK manufacturers currently reluctant to make capital investments, Bots believes that its zero-investment scheme, with no minimum hire period, will be an attractive alternative.

“Whether a customer is taking their first steps into robotics, or wishes to increase their existing automation levels, we are able to advise the most suitable way to implement the robot into the business,” says Bots Automation’s CEO, Tim Warrington. “Whether you are buying or hiring, we offer training and programming upon delivery, and each robot comes with a productivity and measurement app that monitors and reports its performance.”

“Most clients will start out with one robot, to see how it goes,” he adds, “usually before hiring or buying multiple numbers”.

Bots will offer advice as well as hiring robots

In addition to industrial applications, Bots is also targeting the entertainment sector with interactive humanoid robots designed to perform functions such as delivering food and drink, gathering data, and acting as guides. The company is also developing a robot bar, which will mix and serve cocktails.