SOFTBANK ROBOTICS AMERICA LAUNCHES HETEROGENOUS INTEGRATION PLATFORM FOR THE COMMERCIAL CLEANING INDUSTRY

Introducing SoftBank Robotics Connect, enabling Best Run Operations with multi-OEM autonomous solutions

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SoftBank Robotics America, today announced the official launch of SoftBank Robotics Connect for the U.S. market. SoftBank Robotics Connect is an online platform which provides a streamlined, automated approach to managing heterogeneous fleets of autonomous solutions, enabling operational transparency and increased productivity.

SoftBank Robotics Connect now allows innovative Building Service Contractors (BSC) and property service management teams full visibility into their operations and enables them to have greater choice and flexibility in how they optimize their commercial service operations. Service operations teams that have a variety of locations to clean and cover thousands of square feet to millions, can now select the right robots for the right jobs and manage performance from a single hub across the service operation. This approach simplifies the delivery of performance reports and enables more effective productivity, setting a new cross-industry standard for continuous improvement of service operations.

Brady Watkins, SoftBank Robotics America President and GM said "Our customers are already starting their automation journeys and expanding their robotic portfolios. SoftBank Robotics Connect represents a strategic investment that allows our customers to sustain long term business value, by providing the foundation for success with integrated autonomous data, which complements our services in onboarding, adoption, and change management."

SoftBank Robotics Connect provides users and managers with actionable data analytics-based insights that help drive targeted improvements in productivity, service uptime, quality, and standard operating procedure (SOP) consistency. This allows teams to maximize the utilization of the robot fleets. "The platform gives team members access to track the productivity of a robotic fleet, from hundreds of robots, down to a single robot, anywhere in the world. This data can be used to increase fleet efficiency by recognizing trends and proactively resolving problems, or to showcase the overall productivity and value of a robotics program," said Kate Kidd, VP Products, SoftBank Robotics America.

Users can manage the routes, and locations, and receive insights on the productivity of their robotic fleets through the platform in near time. These insights allow customers to continuously improve robot performance and the overall productivity of the operation. SoftBank Robotics Connect's combination of data analytics, machine learning, and an intuitive user experience supports users in better managing their service operations and achieving the business case for automation.

Enterprise customers such as Flagship Facility Services and University of Delaware (UD) view SoftBank Robotics Connect as vital in the optimization of their investment in autonomous robots for commercial cleaning. Flagship Facility Services deployed over 100 autonomous robots across nearly 15 customer locations in just six months. "SoftBank Robotics Connect is a strategic platform that enables us to manage performance of the program across all of our locations and deliver sustainable business value," said Jeffrey Williams, Director of Aviation and Janitorial Operations.

UD has a mix of Whiz and S50 for vacuuming and scrubbing respectively. With a single dashboard, UD can monitor performance for multiple robots, understand the work plan for each one, and more importantly have proof that work has been completed. Should the robot have an issue, a simple text message sent to the operations team enables the team to respond and resolve it. Sylvester Johnson, Jr., Director of Custodial & University Services at University of Delaware, shared "We want to provide the best level of service to our faculty, staff, students, and visitors. With SoftBank Robotics Connect, we are able to deploy the most appropriate robots for the task at hand, measure the impact of the program, and meet or exceed our cleaning SOPs."

Many market factors are causing a reduction in the workforce pool available for service operations positions. Enterprise organizations dependent on delivering SOP consistency to drive revenue via customer experience and perception, find that using autonomous robots for commercial cleaning is essential. Karen Wood-Maris, VP Customer Experience at SoftBank Robotics America pointed out: "If a property is perceived to be poorly maintained and is not meeting its SOPs, the impact on revenue, for example in Senior Living, could see anywhere from 5–10%+ occupancy shifts tied to quality perceptions, based on our experience. The SoftBank Robotics Connect platform enables BSC's and property service operation teams to have full flexibility and choice over the robots they deploy. The ability to monitor and manage cleaning performance of heterogeneous fleets from a single hub is essential for enterprise robotic programs to scale. We believe that enterprise customers will lead the way, disrupting their service operations with different OEMs and types of robots over time."

The SoftBank Robotics Connect solution is a US based offering that does not include Japan based service offerings and deployment.

About SoftBank Robotics America:

SoftBank Robotics America is the North American arm of SoftBank Robotics, driving technology forward by becoming a worldwide leader in robotics solutions. Headquartered in San Francisco, SoftBank Robotics America is a trusted partner and robot integrator that helps clients think beyond the technology, to incorporate the people and processes that solve the most pressing challenges and deliver best run operations. SoftBank Robotics America brings value and relevancy to senior living, hospitality, aviation, class A office space, multi-family, education, facilities management, and commercial cleaning. The goal is to develop a strong partnership and foundation for automation that will realize maximum strategic value on the investment in robotics. For more information on SoftBank Robotics America, please visit us.softbankrobotics.com.

About SoftBank Robotics:

SoftBank Robotics Group has been at the forefront of robotics technology development since the launch of its humanoid robot Pepper in 2014. The group has consistently introduced innovation, including autonomous cleaning robots in 2018, multi-tray delivery robots in 2021, and automated logistics solutions consulting in 2022. Leveraging extensive knowledge and operational data, SoftBank Robotics is playing a pioneering role as a Robot Integrator (RI) by providing effective robotic implementation solutions. With a global presence in 21 locations across 9 countries, SoftBank Robotics' robots are deployed worldwide. The group is committed to advancing towards a society where people and robots coexist through robot transformation (RX).

SOURCE SoftBank Robotics America