Building the Most Relevant Technology Portfolio to Deliver Best Run Operations
An interview with Kate Kidd, VP Product, SoftBank Robotics America
HJD: Welcome Kate! Tell us a little about your background and how that helps in your work at SoftBank Robotics America.
KK: Sure Helen. I’m passionate about bringing new products to market and scaling existing products so I’m really excited to be speaking with you!
I studied business and product design at Stanford University. I started my career in finance, analyzing tech and real estate funds on the private equity side. I moved to product management in real estate software where I successfully launched profitable products before joining SoftBank Robotics about six years ago to work on robotics and automation. My first product launch was Whiz, our commercial vacuum robot. Since then, I’ve launched 4 additional products, and we have a runway for many more 🙂
HJD: We spoke with Karen Wood Maris, VP Revenue Ops, Customer Experience and Growth Marketing about SBRA’s business model as a Robot Integrator. Why is this an important factor in the work that you do?
KK: That’s a great question. SBRA is a robotic and automation integrator rather than a manufacturer. This means we focus on orchestrating solutions by partnering with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to bring products to market that deliver high returns for customers. We concentrate on providing micro-services such as data collection, deployment, customer success, and other programs that deliver business value. We have been very successful in doing that, launching over 30,000 robots in the market. We've learned over time - the hard way - about what works and what doesn’t. Our decision not to manufacture is very intentional. We focus on being the experts and delivering the best value to customers at all times.
HJD: Robots are an important element of developing solutions for customers. How do you differentiate SBRA in a market where hardware is becoming commoditized?
KK: The rate of technology adoption and change is increasing exponentially. Its great there are more robotics companies entering the market for everyone. It means greater adoption of technology and more people benefiting from the technology. However, we are also seeing a large number of robotic companies fail, mainly because they can’t scale.
At SBRA, we differentiate by:
- Focusing on the customer problem to be solved and developing a successful business case
- Providing a complete solution package that ensures product fit with strategy. This is a layer of added security and value for clients.
- Working with the best OEMs so they can concentrate on developing the most reliable and usable hardware, leaving SBRA to focus on scaling deployment and program value.
HJD: When you select robots to be part of your portfolio, what factors do you consider? What is the ‘homework’ you’ve done, that customers can benefit from?
KK: We go through an extensive process to make sure that technology is ready for customer adoption. At the end of the day, our reputation is at stake too. Some of the things we consider as part of our validation are:
- Size of the opportunity and potential market impact
- Existing hardware, product functionality and the ability to build a comprehensive solution
- Proof of concepts to verify product functionality and reliability
- Providing feedback to OEMs on functionality and ability to orchestrate with others
- Analyzing the supply chain for vulnerabilities
- Evaluating the backend technology stack/infrastructure and APIs
- Assessing available data and its potential for actionable insights
- Checking data security measures
- Developing and testing use cases from a customer perspective
HJD: That is a thorough process! How long does the typical evaluation process take?
KK: It obviously depends on a number of factors such as whether it’s a new market or vertical for SBRA, identifying functional requirements, the specific use case being addressed and the complexity of the market and technology involved. If we can rely on a company that is already in our network, we can bring something to market relatively quickly in a matter of a few months. If it is a much larger, detailed project, it can take a lot longer. We don’t cut corners.
I will say that we have learned a lot of valuable lessons about what works and what doesn’t work. We continue to use our knowledge to constantly refine our approach to delivering holistic products and the best value for customers.
HJD: How do standards factor into the equation?
KK: Different certifications and standards exist across the 34+ different countries that we operate in. There are US standards that simply don’t exist elsewhere, so we have to be diligent about the technology that we use, and we are always 5 steps ahead of most OEMs in this regard. Not adhering to standards is one of the reasons that a lot of companies fail.
HJD: Why did you focus first on automation of the commercial cleaning market?
KK: There is a huge opportunity here. So much of the effort is manual labor performing tasks that are repetitive, and often dangerous. Cleaning is essential for industries dependent on the quality of customer experience such as hospitality, higher education, senior living, airports and so on, but it is a task that results in a lot of injuries and workers comp claims.
HJD: I know that many innovative building services contractors and janitorial teams are already benefiting from the work you do. I also know from your clients that SBRA really does work side by side to understand the issues and deliver value from the program.
Thank you so much for your time!
KK: Thank you for the opportunity, Helen!
More Information
If you would like to find out more about Building the Most Relevant Technology Portfolio to Deliver Best Run Operations, be sure to listen and watch this on-demand webinar.
For more information about SBRA and its robotic automation program, please visit the website.
If you would like to speak with a member of the SBRA team, please click on the ‘schedule a consult’ button available on the SBRA site.
