A leading robotics integrator recently opened a Charlotte office to bring its automated solutions to local businesses across several industries.
Founded in 2007, Dallas-based RobotLAB designs robots that perform various functions to help reduce the need for employees at businesses to execute mundane tasks. With about 13 locations across the U.S., the company held a grand-opening event on June 6 for its newest franchise, located at 9410 D Ducks Lane in Charlotte.
RobotLAB's local franchise owners are Chetan and Neel Patel. Elad Inbar serves as the company's CEO and founder. They were each in attendance at the ribbon cutting, demonstrating to attendees how select robots perform. Some of the robots' skills included serving food and drinks.
"Charlotte is growing; It's booming," said Chetan Patel on why the local region was key for RobotLAB's growth. "You've got a lot of diversified businesses that are moving to Charlotte. Why not capitalize on that opportunity and bring robotics solutions into the existing business workforce?"
Chetan and Neel said they joined the RobotLAB franchise, as the company makes robots across all market segments, unlike other robotics businesses that typically focus on one industry. It also works with major manufacturers such as LG and USRobotics
"If we wanted to partner with any other manufacturer, it would be a nightmare," Chetan said. "RobotLAB does it all."
RobotLAB has about 50 types of robots, with 10 or so variations rolled out in the Charlotte region. But Inbar said businesses here will have access to its full portfolio. That encompasses robots for education, cleaning, restaurants, assisted living, delivery, hospitality, disinfection, entertainment, security and agriculture, among other purposes.
The machines are typically tested at its headquarters in the Dallas area before being distributed to locations within its footprint.
It has a sharp focus on the cleaning and educational industry, but it's seeing a growing demand within the restaurant space. Its restaurant robots help front-of-house staff manage the floor more smoothly.
Chetan emphasized that the robots are not designed to replace humans or their jobs, but to make their lives easier.
"We're supplementing what businesses already have today," he said.
The robots start in cost at $6,000 and range to $75,000 for higher-level machines. RobotLAB also provides a financing option for businesses.
How RobotLAB was born
Inbar said he started building robots when he was a child. It was just for a hobby then, as robots weren't accessible to purchase in stores or online.
Around 2004, he moved to Taiwan, which is renowned for its electronics industry. He noticed a trend while he resided there of more products like drones and remote control cars being made available to consumers and businesses.
"To me, this was a wake-up call because the market was shifting from just components into more products," Inbar said.
That sparked the idea of RobotLAB, which started with educational robots that provide curriculum for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The company's school robots are used in roughly two-thirds of districts nationwide.
"As the years went by, we just added more and more products to our product line," he said. "We deploy tens of thousands of robots in every market."
RobotLAB plans to have offices in about 100 markets across the country by the end of next year, Inbar said. It is currently available in areas such as Raleigh, New Jersey, Chicago, Houston, California and Denver. The Raleigh location opened about two months ago.
The company does not provide robots for residential purposes, only for businesses. Inbar said RobotLAB plans to expand its product catalog as it continues to grow.
"We are here for long-term partnerships with business owners that need to automate tasks that people don't want to do anymore," he said. "That's where our focus is."
