ELITE ROBOT: Successful in Portugal thanks to a strong partner - a case study

Dedicated dealer and comprehensive after-sales service

Through LinkedIn, I became aware of the Portuguese partner of the Chinese cobot manufacturer ELITE ROBOT. This is how I found their Portuguese distributor - Equinotec, which distributes BoschRexroth in Portugal and is therefore known for its high quality standards. Elite Robot, in turn, has been considered a serious market player since receiving US$31 million in Series B1 funding in April 2021. The solid-looking cobots are said to be significantly cheaper than those of most competitors. The performance data is good to very good. This applies in particular to speed and repeatability. The company was introduced here in the course of its participation in the Hanover Fair. Without a doubt, ELITE ROBOT will be represented in Germany sooner or later.

Optimizing dealer management is the topic in business. How to protect the benefit of dealers in the intense competition with OEM? Can dealers get strong technical service from ELITE ROBOT? Luis Abrunhosa of Equinotec was kind enough to "reveal" by phone his formula for success. First, he described the competitive situation in Portugal. The market is of course much smaller than the German market. But there are also fewer suppliers.

After careful consideration and comparison, Luis decided on Elite Robots. He was aware that the price must be significantly lower than the market leader. Meanwhile, the free training program is also an important point. In terms of price, Elite Robots was therefore convincing. But this was only the second decision criterion for him. Most important for him was the quality. That is what he can stand for. The beautiful appearance proved to be another selling point. The cobots look the part.

But he also believes that he is only successful because he stands behind the product with his well-known name and recognized technical background. Ultimately, customers also buy an "Equinotec-Cobot" or one from "Cobotech". This name was chosen to make a clear distinction from the main product "BoschRexroth". In order to build up additional trust, Luis guarantees the immediate delivery of a replacement cobot, should the delivered one become defective. However, this has never been the case.

The typical customer for Elite Robot's low-cost quality cobots is found in smaller companies with flatter hierarchies. In larger companies, the technicians often want the Chinese cobot, but the decision-makers still shy away. But from this case, we can see some Chinese brands are trying to rebuild their reputations around the world with their reliable quality, project protection system for dealers and 24-7 service.

His conclusion: the main points to provide a good product at a fair price, reliable quality and ready to provide comprehensive after-sales service.

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