Online Robot Marketplace Aims to make Automation Sourcing Easier

A new online service is designed to assist manufacturers in automating projects by simplifying the process of evaluating multiple suppliers and determining the best match of capabilities, products and price. HowToRobot.com is a “digital marketplace” that was started in Denmark (a hotbed of robotics innovation) in 2020 and was launched this week in the U.S. at the ATX East show in N.Y.C. With this platform, “Buyers can anonymously broadcast their automation needs to suppliers globally in less than 15 minutes—for free,” says Thomas Anzur, chief sales officer at the company’s U.S. office in Chicago.

“Traditionally, businesses have had to identify and contact robotics suppliers one by one when they needed a new solution—a slow and frustrating process,” as Anzur puts it. With HowToRobot.com, users describe the task they want to automate online just once. Suppliers that have paid an annual subscription fee of $700 can then reply with proposals and pricing for the buyer to evaluate and compare. Suppliers also can post profiles of their company and products on the site for free. Buyers can also get quotes via this platform on aftermarket parts, components and services for their existing robots and automation systems.

More than 100 projects worth over $50 million reportedly were posted on HowToRobot.com in just two months. The platform is claimed to cover over 16,000 robot and automation suppliers worldwide, “making it the world’s largest directory of its kind,” according to the company.