How robot OEMs set up an authorized service partner network in North America
Short answer: A robot maker builds an authorized service network in North America by deciding who the customer calls first, which repairs each partner is allowed to do, how partners get trained and certified, how they get parts and diagnostic access, and how warranty labour is paid. Public examples show four working models: a national independent service provider trained by the maker (Pudu and Avidbots with Burroughs), certified integrators or distributors that double as service centers (Doosan Robotics, Universal Robots), a dealer network that already services floor equipment (Brain Corp robots serviced by Tennant), and maker-run repair depots for the hardest work (Boston Dynamics). Most robot makers new to North America start with one field service partner covering their first metro areas, a written authorization level per partner and a warranty labour schedule, and add regional partners as the installed base grows.
KeepRobots is a robot field service company in Vancouver serving Canada and the United States. We are not an authorized service provider, dealer or exclusive agent for any brand today. The programs below are described only from the makers' and partners' own public pages, cited at the end; we have no inside knowledge of their contracts.
If you are still choosing a partner, start with our robot service partner checklist. For warranty money flows see robot warranty and RMA in North America; for response-time wording see the after-sales SLA guide. The full market-entry sequence is in how to expand a robot company into North America.
What an "authorized service provider" is, and what it is not
An authorized service provider (ASP) is a company the robot maker has trained and permitted to work on its robots, usually including warranty work that the maker pays for. Three things separate it from "any technician who can fix robots":
- Permission. Work done by an ASP within its authorization does not void the warranty. Work outside it may.
- Access. The ASP gets service manuals, diagnostic software or remote tools, firmware, and genuine parts at agreed prices.
- Accountability. The ASP reports every job back to the maker in a fixed format and is measured against the maker's SLA.
An ASP is not automatically a dealer. Some partners sell and service (a distributor that is also a certified service center); others only service robots the maker or its dealers sold. Keeping "who sells" and "who services" separate in the contract avoids most later conflicts.
Four models robot makers use publicly in North America
| Model | Public example | Who the customer calls | Fits when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. National independent service provider | Pudu Robotics and Burroughs (announced January 2025): Burroughs handles deployment, installation and lifecycle support for Pudu robots in North America. Avidbots and Burroughs (November 2023): Burroughs technicians, trained by Avidbots, do on-site field service. | The robot maker first (Avidbots states customers contact Avidbots, which escalates field work to Burroughs) | You need broad coverage quickly and have a remote support team that can triage |
| 2. Certified integrators or distributors as service centers | Doosan Robotics describes a certified network of system integrators across US manufacturing hubs, with inventory and certified technical teams; Cross Automation calls itself a Doosan distributor, certified integrator and factory-certified service center. Universal Robots runs distributors, Certified System Integrators and Authorized Training Centers. | The integrator or distributor that sold the robot | Industrial robots and cobots sold through integration projects |
| 3. An existing equipment dealer network | Brain Corp and Tennant (June 2025): service for Tennant robotic scrubbers is performed by trained Tennant technicians, through a network of 500+ technicians and service partners in North America, with Gold and Silver service plans. | The equipment dealer or OEM partner | Your robot is built on, or sold alongside, equipment that already has a service channel |
| 4. Maker-run repair depots plus training | Boston Dynamics lists certified repair centers in the US, Germany and Korea, a support portal, and Boston Dynamics University for training and certification. | The maker's support portal | High-value robots where board-level repair stays in-house |
The models combine. A common pattern is model 1 or 2 for on-site work plus model 4 for module and board repair. Gausium's public service guide describes the same split globally: certification run from its own offices with a standard that "does not change with country or partner," service delivered by Gausium or authorized distributors, and a 24/7 remote center that resolves about 70% of faults remotely.
The seven building blocks of a robot service partner program
1. Authorization levels
Write down exactly which work each partner may do. A three-level structure is easy to manage:
| Level | Allowed work | Typical requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: field service | Site visits, inspection, cleaning, consumables, preventive maintenance, swapping field-replaceable units (wheels, brushes, batteries, sensors), reboots and log collection, remapping | Online course + hands-on session on the current model; tool kit; insurance certificate |
| Level 2: module repair | Replacing internal modules (drive units, lidar, main board as a whole unit), firmware updates, calibration, deployment of new sites | Level 1 plus advanced training, supervised first jobs, access to service software |
| Level 3: depot repair | Board-level and component repair, refurbishment | Usually kept at the maker's depot or factory |
This is a template, not a quote from any one maker's program. Most makers entering North America only need Level 1 and Level 2 partners at first, with Level 3 at home.
2. Training and certification
Universal Robots' Authorized Training Centers are a clear public reference: classes are taught by certified trainers, split into modules (Core, Advanced, Industrial Communication, Interfaces), and the Core class requires a free online course first. A robot maker can copy the shape without the scale: an online course in English, a two- or three-day hands-on session on a real unit, a short practical test, and certification per technician and per model, renewed when a major model or software version ships. Track it by name: the partner company is authorized, but the individual technician is certified.
3. Parts access
Decide which parts the partner may stock, at what price, and who owns them. For a new market, consignment stock held by the partner (still owned by the maker) is usually faster than asking the partner to buy inventory. Defective parts returns, core charges and the replenishment trigger belong in the agreement. See spare-parts consignment in Canada and how many spares to stock.
4. Tools and diagnostic access
List the service software, remote-access accounts and special tools each level gets, and how access is revoked when a technician leaves. North American IT teams increasingly ask who can reach the robot remotely, so the partner's access should be named accounts, not a shared password.
5. Warranty labour
Makers rarely publish what they pay partners for warranty work. The usual structure is a standard repair time per job (for example, 0.5 hours to swap a drive wheel) multiplied by an agreed hourly rate, plus a fixed call-out or travel rule, paid against a claim with photos, serial number and the removed part. Agree in advance how diagnosis time, no-fault-found visits and second visits caused by wrong parts are paid. As a public reference point, KeepRobots' published rates are on-site labour C$150/hour in Canada or US$150/hour in the US, a C$200 / US$200 diagnostic per robot, per visit (credited when the repair is approved) and a C$100 call-out in the Greater Vancouver core zone, before tax; travel outside the core zone and US projects are quoted per project.
6. Reporting and KPIs
Every job should come back as a structured report: serial number, firmware, symptom, root cause, parts used, time on site and photos. Measure partners on a few numbers: response time against the SLA, first-time fix rate, repeat visits within 30 days, and claim accuracy. The data also tells your engineers which parts fail in North American conditions.
7. Brand and co-branding rules
Spell out how the partner may describe itself ("authorized service provider for X in British Columbia"), which logos it may use, and how your website lists it. A public partner listing on the maker's site is what lets a buyer see local service before signing, and it is the part of the program customers actually notice.
Coverage: one partner or many?
The Burroughs announcements show the appeal of one national provider: Pudu's release describes repair depots, technical support centers and 120+ forward stocking locations with about 500 technicians across the US and Canada, and the Avidbots release cites 650+ technicians. A national provider gives one contract and one report format. Regional partners give more attention per account and are often more flexible on robot types the national network has not trained on yet.
A practical rule: put your first partner where your first customers are, measure visits for six months, and add a second partner when a region has enough robots that travel cost exceeds local labour cost. Canada and the US also differ in practice: cross-border technicians need the right entry basis and paperwork, parts crossing the border need customs handling, and Quebec customers expect French documentation. See robot service in Canada and robot field service in the USA.
A 90-day setup plan for a robot maker
- Weeks 1–2: write the authorization levels, warranty labour schedule (standard times per job) and report template. Decide who the customer calls first.
- Weeks 2–4: shortlist partners with the checklist; request insurance certificates and sample reports.
- Weeks 4–6: sign the service agreement with a back-to-back SLA; ship a training unit and the first consignment parts.
- Weeks 6–8: train and certify named technicians; run two supervised jobs (one preventive maintenance, one fault).
- Weeks 8–12: list the partner on your website, brief your sales team, and review the first month's reports and claims together.
These timings are planning estimates, not measured data.
Common mistakes
- Authorizing the company but not the technician. The certified engineer leaves and nobody else can do the work.
- No standard repair times. Every warranty claim becomes a negotiation.
- Parts in China only. A trained partner waiting weeks for a wheel module still means a robot down for weeks.
- Two channels for the customer. If the customer can call either the maker or the partner, tickets get lost. Pick one front door.
- Announcing a partner before the first supervised job. Train first, then publish.
What KeepRobots can do
KeepRobots can act as a Level 1 or Level 2 field service partner in Western Canada, with travel to the rest of Canada and the US: site visits, deployment, preventive maintenance, repairs, pre-sales demos and storage for consignment parts and demo units. Our engineers read Chinese technical documentation and can work with factory teams in China time. We can follow your report template and warranty labour schedule, or start from ours. See North American field service for robot makers and our robot maker program.
FAQ
What is an authorized robot service provider?
A company the robot maker has trained and permitted to service its robots, with access to manuals, diagnostic tools and genuine parts, whose covered work does not void the warranty and is often paid by the maker under warranty.
How do robot makers pay service partners for warranty work?
Usually a standard repair time per job multiplied by an agreed hourly rate, plus a call-out or travel rule, paid against a documented claim. Makers rarely publish their rates, so terms are negotiated per partner.
Do I need one national service partner or several regional ones?
Start with one partner where your first customers are. National providers give one contract and broad coverage; regional partners give closer attention. Add partners when visit data shows travel cost in a region is higher than local labour.
How should robot field technicians be certified?
Per technician and per model: an online course, a hands-on session on a real unit, a practical test and supervised first jobs, renewed when a major model or software version ships.
Can a field service partner also sell my robots?
It can, as Doosan Robotics' distributor-integrators do, but write the sales and service roles separately in the contract so territory, pricing and service obligations do not conflict.
Sources
- Pudu Robotics, partnership with Burroughs for North American service (January 7, 2025): pudurobotics.com; also reported by CleanLink
- Avidbots partners with Burroughs Service Network for onsite support (November 8, 2023): avidbots.com
- Doosan Robotics Americas, certified system integrator network (September 29, 2025): doosanrobotics.com; Cross Automation and Doosan Robotics (June 28, 2022): crossco.com
- Universal Robots partner ecosystem: universal-robots.com; Authorized Training Centers launch (April 1, 2019): universal-robots.com
- Brain Corp and Tennant, robot service standards in the US and Canada (June 24, 2025): braincorp.com
- Boston Dynamics customer success (certified repair centers, Boston Dynamics University): bostondynamics.com
- Gausium commercial cleaning robot service and support guide (August 10, 2026): gausium.com
Program descriptions are quoted from public pages as of 2026-10-25 and may have changed; they are examples, not endorsements. KeepRobots is not affiliated with or authorized by these manufacturers or service companies. The authorization levels, warranty labour structure and 90-day plan are our templates and planning estimates. KeepRobots rates are current published rates and may change; taxes, parts and travel outside the core area are extra.