Ramsey, NJ, and Foster City, Santa Clara CA, July 20, 2015 – Konica Minolta's Business Innovation Center (BIC) announced today the launch of a robotics services partnership pilot with Savioke, a leading provider of autonomous service robots to the hospitality industry.
As part of the services partnership pilot with Savioke, Konica Minolta will provide onsite installation, maintenance and break/fix services to Savioke's Relay robots, related software and network suites. Savioke will continue to design, manufacture and supply the robots.
Savioke is passionate about delivering easy-to-use yet sophisticated robots that can help people. The company aims to improve the lives of people by developing and deploying robotic technology in human environments - the places where people live and work.
As an engine of growth for Konica Minolta, the BIC is partnered with and investing in a diverse range of initiatives in Silicon Valley and beyond to bring emerging and innovative solutions into Konica Minolta's portfolio. Defining the disruptive opportunities in the robotics industry is a strategic focus area of the BIC in North America.
"The global robotics industry is large and fast-growing market and we are aggressively pursuing key strategic partnerships and investments in this space. Our partnership with Savioke enables us to extend our global services capabilities and distribution experience and positions us well to be a value added provider in this emerging ecosystem”, said Ekta Sahasi, Vice President Business Innovation Center.
"In Konica Minolta, we gain a partner with a full spectrum of award-winning services infrastructure, capabilities, global reach and scale," according to Steve Cousins, CEO of Savioke. "Our entry into service-intensive sectors such as hotels, hospitals and elder care facilities demands that we partner with proven leaders in these markets."
The strategic location of the BIC in Silicon Valley, CA and additional centers across the globe will expand the company’s international presence and enhance its ability to identify and capitalize on innovative and transformational technologies. The BIC currently plays host to other robotics companies including Knightscope, which utilizes technology to make communities safer and stronger.
For more information, please visit http://bic.konicaminolta.us and connect on Twitter @KMBICUS.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is one of the leaders in information management focused on enterprise content, technology optimization and cloud services. Our portfolio of offerings deliver solutions to improve our customers’ speed to market, manage technology costs, and facilitate the sharing of information to increase productivity. The All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, project and cloud computing solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has won numerous awards and recognition, including placement in the Leaders Quadrant on the Gartner 2014 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) and Managed Content Services (MCS). Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for eight consecutive years. Konica Minolta, Inc. has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for three years in a row. For more information, please visit: www.kmbs.konicaminolta.us and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter @konicaminoltaus.