INTERVIEW WITH MEILI ROBOTS

Meili Robots provides a universal fleet management system for mobile robots: Meili FMS. Coming as an integration, the software enables robot users to manage their entire fleet from one platform, regardless of the brand or type of mobile robot.

To optimise operational efficiency and safety, Meili FMS specialises in three key features: 1) Task Management to be in charge of all aspects of automated and non-automated assignments, 2) Traffic Control to predict real-time bottlenecks and regulate traffic at intersections, and 3) Path Planning to streamline productivity and prevent obstructions or delays.

Interview with Aldus von der Burg, Founder & CEO of Meili Robots.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?

Aldus von der Burg: Meili Robots is the software provider of the fleet manager Meili FMS. Our team is mainly composed of developers and engineers working on producing and improving Meili FMS. 

Besides our software development, Meili Robots’s activities are strongly focused on the storytelling of the future of mobile robots software and the need to tackle interoperability.

E.E: What’s the news about new products?

A.v.d.B: Our product has been further built upon with the increase in deployments. Having a good base in our initial deployments, we have been able to improve our system by increasing its responsiveness to the users and making it more efficient and cheaper to operate without compromising the software’s usability.

E.E: What are the ranges of products?

A.v.d.B: Meili Robots is completely focused on its universal fleet management system Meili FMS. 

E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?

A.v.d.B: The global market for mobile robots was valued at a “mere” €9.37B in 2020 and is now projected to reach the size of €63.22B by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 21%. In addition, the autonomous mobile robot (AMR) market was valued at only €0.88B in 2017 and is now forecasted to hit €6.17B in 2022. 

Although software for mobile robots was not even part of the market value in 2017, it is now estimated that software alone will add €2.64B to the market value of AMR hardware by 2022. This is incredibly promising considering the ability of our solution to manage mobile robot fleets more efficiently. 

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

A.v.d.B: In addition to and as a result of the market growth mentioned above, robotics interoperability is becoming increasingly important. With many businesses starting to create a more diverse portfolio of mobile robots, it is essential that these will be able to work together seamlessly. 

Meili FMS’s current features already enable users to keep managing their mobile robot fleet effortlessly, even if their fleet becomes more diverse. Not only does this empower users to stay ahead of the curve, but it also ensures them that they can keep using their fleet as is whenever they have to face any changes. 

E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?

A.v.d.B: As Meili Robots only provides one product, Meili FMS, this is a simple answer. However, in terms of innovation within the product, we are very proud of our three main features: Task Management, Traffic Control, and Path Planning. This is what sets us apart from the other solutions on the market.

E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2022?

A.v.d.B: We are aiming to expand our number of deployments with our partners by supporting their fleet growth and operations. However, these partners are not our only end-users. We can also jointly collaborate with other system and component providers for mobile robots to provide more value to our mutual clients. To achieve this, we will be partnering with said companies through various integrations and projects.

Another estimation for the rest of 2022 is an investment round to accelerate our team growth. This way, we aim to tackle a wider span on the market and increase our developer workforce for new features and increased productivity achieved by our Meili FMS.