Tompkins Robotics has partnered with Global Robotics Services (GRS), a platform backed by GLP Financial Group that provides financial backing for collaborative robots as a service (RaaS) solutions. Together, Tompkins Robotics and GRS said they expect to “bring new opportunities for U.S. companies and easy entry into automation and robotics.” The Tompkins Robotics/GRS RaaS solution provides customers with the ability to pay for what they consume including equipment, installation, commissioning and support costs, all of which are included in the service level agreement (SLA). This innovative model gives customers the flexibility of a subscription-based pricing and service option instead of traditional capital equipment purchase and support model. This conserves capital, converts investment to an operating cost, and allows a customer to “pay as they go” for the use of the system, said the companies. RaaS also provides customers with the ability to scale up and down rapidly and easily in response to changing market conditions or seasonal demand such as the Holiday season, Back to School, January returns, and other seasonal events, said the companies. According to Mike Futch, CEO of Tompkins Robotics, “our solutions have always had a reputation for being flexible, now we have the opportunity to allow financial flexibility as well.” Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) currently have low adoption, investment, and even satisfaction rates among businesses, according to management consulting firm Avasant Research, but two other key metrics – ROI and TCO – are moderate. “While the growth in enterprise VR and AR is slower than most of the other technologies we survey, early adopters are seeing moderate success rates,” said Avasant researchers. “With moderate economic success rates and investments by companies such as Facebook (Meta), Nvidia, and Microsoft, VR and AR growth is likely.” So far, VR has its strengths in training environments, such as Walmart using VR headsets to train its associates. But many workplace collaboration tools are adopting AR tools such as face filters, virtual whiteboard and notetaking tools, said Avasant. “Although mainstream adoption rates for VR and AR are low, consumer- and enterprise-ready technologies are likely to change this in the near future,” said Tracell Frederick, research analyst/editor for Computer Economics, a service of Avasant Research. “VR and AR are building momentum to revolutionize sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and especially asset-intensive industries.” Tompkins Announces Robotic-aaS Model VR and AR Show Slow Adoption but ‘Great Promise’ Emerging Plans for 2022 EMERGENT After likely holding back during the last year or two, IT channel firms in 2022 are committing to extending and growing their existing portfolios, show findings from CompTIA. Nearly half (49 percent) of partner respondents said they are either mostly focusing on new areas such as emerging technologies or paying equal attention to both new and existing lines of business. Source: CompTIA IT Partner Plans for Solutions and Services Offering in 2020 Mostly extending existing products/services Equal attention to new & existing products/services Mostly focusing on new product/services (i.e. emtech) Wait and see approach Shifting from transactional business to consulting Virtual and Augmented Reality Adoption 37% 29% 20% 9% 7% of Emerging Tech Efforts Source: Avasant Research. Source: CompTIA t Mixed Fe ling on State of Change rs’ sales reps, by stage of process IT Partner Plans for Sol tions and Services Offering in 2020 Mostly extending existing products/services Equal attention to new & existing products/services Mostly focusing on new product/services (i.e. emtech) Wait and see approach Shifting from transactional business to consulting Virtual and Augmented Reality Adoption and Customer Experience Profile Adoption Investment ROI success TCO success Satisfaction Low Moderate High Effectiveness of new sales models in reachi Existing Apr 2020 Existing Aug2020 Existing Feb 2021 As effective or more so compared with prior to COVID-19 % of respondents nada UK US 56% 52% 10% 43% 38% 6% 11% 37% 20% 35% 38% 22% 25% 47% 32% 28% 35% nada UK US Relevant and changing rapidly Relevant and holding st ady Only somewhat relevant and diminishing or unsure 20 32 32 19 30 30 c Aug ‘20 Feb ‘21 Dec ‘21 Aug ‘20 Feb ‘21 Dec ‘21 37% 29% 20% 9% 7% 54% 75% 83% Much less Somewhat less As effective Somewhat more Much more 9 18 27 39 7 15 31 29 20 5 24 34 25 13 4 8 CHANNELV ISION | MARCH - APRIL 2022
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