In this episode, I was joined by Vince Martinelli of RightHand Robotics. Vince is the Head of Product & Marketing at RightHand Robotics and a previous guest of the show. The last time we spoke was at MODEX 2019 (in person!) earlier this year on Episode 70 where we discussed the origins of RightHand Robotics and some recent partnerships they are involved in. For this episode, Vince and I discussed what has happened since then with RightHand Robotics, Vince’s brief stint as a coffee shop owner, and his predictions for automation going into 2021.

Key Takeaways

• As I have been talking to different people within the industry it is fascinating to hear about how they ended up where they are. Vince has a very interesting story that took a detour away from technology into owning his own coffee shop. He gives some great insights on how he learned many things that have helped him in his career post-coffee shop life. Additionally, he also gives some great insight for those looking to work for a start-up and how you can learn a lot from working for different size companies.
• Vince discusses how things have developed during the pandemic for RightHand Robotics and how some things that were already in the works got accelerated to accommodate customer’s needs. He explains how they were in the process of developing systems that would allow them to do remote installs and setups at the time of MODEX (prior to major shutdowns). With the need for social distancing and restrictions on allowing external parties on-site at many companies, the need for remote setup and support became a huge demand this year and RHR was ready to meet the task. He also explains how there has been an increased demand for their solution in the grocery space as home delivery has increased in popularity.
• We also discussed what the future holds in 2021 with automation. As we have discussed on the podcast through this year, consumer behavior has shifted and driven e-commerce demand to new highs. Due to this Vince believes that this consumer behavior will stick and as he talks to peers around the industry they are seeing lots of interest and investment in automation for now and the future. To keep up with the level and demand and also keep workers safe, automation and robotics will soon become essential to meet these goals. He also discusses how to get started on an automation project if you have not introduced any into your operation yet.

Listen to the episode below and let us know in the comments if you are investing in automation in the coming year.