Why Create Turnkey Robotic Solutions? 10 Great Benefits for Integrators

As a robot integrator, custom robot integration projects have probably been your company’s “bread and butter” for years. But, this looks set to change. Turnkey solutions are increasingly a core offering for many integrators.

The robotics landscape is now more competitive than ever before. New robot manufacturers, integrators, and OEMs arrive on the market every year.

With so many components available, integration services are as necessary as ever… but customers are increasingly looking for off-the-shelf solutions.

By creating a range of pre-engineered, turnkey solutions, your integration business can provide robust and reliable options for automating their chosen application with robotics.

Let’s look at the benefits you can achieve by creating turnkey robotics solutions…

What is a Turnkey Solution in Robotics?

A turnkey solution is one that can be easily integrated into a process — it is “ready to use.” In robotics, turnkey solutions refer to pre-engineered solutions that have all the necessary components for a particular robotic application.

Unlike custom solutions, these solutions are standardized and pre-tested to ensure seamless operation on installation.

The specific robotic elements included in such a solution will depend on your application. For example, a palletizing solution capable of packing large, heavy boxes will use a completely different robotic manipulator than a solution designed for small, delicate electronic assembly.

As an integrator, a turnkey solution means that you only need to do the “heavy integration work” once per application.

For your clients, a turnkey solution means reliability, clarity, and ease-of-use.

Key Features of a Successful Turnkey Solutions

What makes a solution “turnkey” instead of custom? The key is that you have done the work to configure the robotic system into a self-contained product.

Other features include:

  • Standardization — Turnkey solutions are built upon standardized hardware and software components. No matter who purchases the solution, they receive the same components (with customization if appropriate).
  • Modularity — Solutions are often designed to be modular, allowing for easy upgrades and modification. This makes them easy to configure and maintain.
  • Robust programming software — RoboDK is a popular robot programming software for turnkey solutions. It offers versatile programming capabilities and simulation, facilitating smoother integration and use by your clients.
  • Documentation and training — A key component of any good turnkey solution is documentation. The better your documentation, the easier it is for your clients to use your solution.
  • Reliability — The goal of a turnkey solution is that it “just works.” This means using high-quality components and thoroughly testing the system.
  • Cost-effectiveness — By reducing the need for custom engineering, turnkey solutions can offer significant cost savings. This makes them an attractive option for many companies.

That’s what a turnkey solution is… but why would you want to create them?

5 Benefits for Offering Turnkey as an Integrator

Compared with conventional integration projects, turnkey solutions offer some compelling benefits for integration companies.

Here are 5 benefits you can see by creating a catalog of pre-engineered solutions:

1. Accelerated Sales Cycle

What if you could sell more solutions more quickly and easily?

Off-the-shelf solutions allow for shorter sales cycles, as there are fewer unknowns than with custom deployments. Plus, by combining software like RoboDK for Web you can easily demonstrate the feasibility of your solution to customers.

2. Reduced Engineering Hours

With turnkey solutions, you develop once and deploy many times.

By creating standardized solutions, you can considerably reduce the time you spend on custom programming and system design. This frees you up to work on more projects.

3. Enhanced Reliability

With any new robot deployment, there are always some teething troubles. However, a turnkey solution is not a new deployment.

You can “iron out the kinks” of the robot application when you first design the solution, so the reliability grows the more times you sell the solution. This builds trust with your customers and positions your company as a dependable partner.

4. Copy and Paste Scalability

Turnkey solutions are designed for scalability, allowing your customers to scale their automation capabilities quickly.

When your customer has deployed their first robot cell successfully, they can scale it by simply “copying and pasting” the cell.

5. Cost-Effective Product Development

For your integration company, an enormous benefit is that you can offer products instead of just offering a service.

With each new robotic application, your catalog of turnkey solutions will grow.

5 Great Benefits Your Clients Will Appreciate

When you provide turnkey solutions, there are also significant benefits for your clients and customers.

For one thing, they only need to deal with one company to get their robotic application off the ground: yours.

Other benefits to your customers include:

  1. Faster ROI — Quicker implementation and lower costs means their robot investment will gain a return on investment (ROI) sooner.
  2. Lower Risk — The predictability of standardized robotic solutions provides a peace of mind, reducing risk and ensuring smoother project timelines.
  3. Consistent Performance — Turnkey solutions also offer a more reliable performance as you have seen how they operate across different operational environments.
  4. Easy Deployment — Pre-configured systems offer a seamless integration, reducing the need for substantial adjustments and fine-tuning.
  5. Support and Training — The training that you provide with your solutions can be a significant benefit to your customers and their teams.

The Role of RoboDK in Enhancing Turnkey Solutions

For many integrators, RoboDK offers the perfect programming software for their turnkey solutions.

With its rich feature set, advanced robot simulation, and extensive robot support, RoboDK provides a reliable, easy-to-use programming environment for both you and your customers.

If you haven’t tried RoboDK yourself yet, you can download a free trial copy on the Download page.

If you are using (or considering using) RoboDK as a component in your turnkey application… let us know and we might feature you on this blog!

What has held you back from offering turnkey robotic solutions in the past? Tell us in the comments below or join the discussion on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in the RoboDK Forum.. Also, check out our extensive video collection and subscribe to the RoboDK YouTube Channel

About Alex Owen-Hill

Alex Owen-Hill is a freelance writer and public speaker who blogs about a large range of topics, including science, presentation skills at CreateClarifyArticulate.com, storytelling and (of course) robotics. He completed a PhD in Telerobotics from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid as part of the PURESAFE project, in collaboration with CERN. As a recovering academic, he maintains a firm foot in the robotics world by blogging about industrial robotics.

View all posts by Alex Owen-Hill