A third-party robot service provider for robot makers in North America
Short answer: KeepRobots is a third-party robot service provider for robot manufacturers that sell into North America but don't have field engineers there. We do the on-site work under your procedures: robot deployment, hourly on-site repair, preventive maintenance, pre-sales demos and spare-parts storage. We're based in Greater Vancouver and serve Canada and the United States. We don't sell robots and we're nobody's exclusive dealer.
[email protected] → English + Mandarin · Non-exclusive · White-label available · Billed by the hour
Who this is for
- Robot makers (delivery, cleaning, logistics/AMR, robotic arms, humanoids, quadrupeds, other large automated equipment) with customers in Canada or the US and no local service staff yet.
- Manufacturers whose distributor sells but doesn't repair, or who have no distributor yet.
- Teams answering enterprise RFPs that ask, "Who services this locally, and how fast?"
- Robot startups that want field coverage for their first units before hiring a full-time field service engineer.
What a third-party robot service partner does for you
| Service | What we do | How it's billed |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment & commissioning | Site survey, mapping, waypoints, network setup, door/elevator integration coordination, staff training, go-live and a site report | Quoted per project |
| On-site repair | Diagnosis, module swaps, warranty/RMA handling to your process, root-cause notes back to your engineers | Published hourly rates (below) |
| Preventive maintenance | Scheduled inspections to your manual: cleaning, wear parts, battery health, firmware checks, data back to you | Quoted per program |
| Pre-sales demos | Site check before the demo, then go with your salesperson or run the demo ourselves | Quoted per job |
| Spare parts & equipment storage | Fast-moving spares, demo units and returned units held in Vancouver; consignment with monthly stock reports | Quoted per arrangement |
The full service description is on North America field service for robot manufacturers; deployment details are on robot deployment and commissioning.
Pricing
| Item | Price (before tax) |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic | $200 CAD per visit in Canada, $200 USD in the US (credited against an approved repair) |
| Call-out (Greater Vancouver core zone) | $100 CAD per visit |
| On-site labour | $150 CAD per hour in Canada, $150 USD per hour in the US |
| Parts | Catalogue price, or your consignment stock |
No retainer, no onboarding fee, no minimum volume. Work outside the core zone, including the US, is quoted per project with travel listed separately, and you approve the quote before we go.
Coverage
Our base and core zone is Greater Vancouver. From there: the rest of BC and Alberta on scheduled trips; the rest of Canada and the United States on site per project. Vancouver is in the same time zone as the US West Coast and has direct flights to Asia, which helps when your R&D team is overseas.
In-house team, distributor or third-party service provider?
| Option | Usually fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Your own field engineers | Many units concentrated in one region, steady ticket volume | Fixed salary and travel cost before the volume exists; one person can't cover a continent |
| Distributor or integrator | The partner sells and services in its own territory | Some only sell; service depth varies; territory and exclusivity terms |
| Third-party robot service provider | Few or scattered units, early market entry, need for on-demand on-site work | Training on your product takes time up front; agree response targets and reporting in writing |
These options can be combined. A longer comparison with cost examples is in How robot makers entering North America can offer on-site robot service without hiring a team.
What to check before choosing a robot service partner
- Coverage: where they are based, which areas are routine and which are per-project travel.
- Response: how fast they reply, and whether on-site attendance targets can be written into an agreement.
- Product training: how they learn your robot, and whether they'll say so when they haven't worked on it.
- Warranty rules: whether they follow your RMA process and leave sealed assemblies closed without your approval.
- Reporting: site reports, root-cause notes, and whether they can work in your ticketing system.
- Parts: whether they can hold consignment stock and report usage.
- Conflicts: whether they also sell competing robots.
- Language and hours: whether they can read your documentation and talk to your engineers in their working hours.
How we start working together
- 30-minute call: your robot, where your North American customers are, which services you need.
- NDA and handover: manuals, fault tables, spare-parts list, remote-support contacts.
- Training: remote, or in Vancouver with a sample unit.
- First job: one real deployment or repair. Read our site report before deciding anything wider.
- Ongoing: response targets, consignment stock and monthly reporting in a service agreement when it makes sense.
What we don't do
- We don't sell robots or act as anyone's exclusive dealer.
- We don't work inside elevator controllers. That is licensed elevator-contractor work (regulated by Technical Safety BC in British Columbia); we coordinate with the contractor.
- We don't open sealed assemblies under your warranty without your agreement.
- We don't issue certifications. We can run a CSA/cUL and ISED gap check, but certification comes from an accredited body.
FAQ
What is a third-party robot service provider?
An independent company that does on-site work on robots it didn't build: deployment and commissioning, repair, preventive maintenance and parts handling, on behalf of the robot manufacturer or the robot's owner. KeepRobots is one, based in Greater Vancouver and serving Canada and the United States.
Can you service our robots if you've never worked on them?
We'll tell you honestly whether we have. Drive modules, LiDAR, batteries, chassis and joint modules share a lot across makes. Before we take tickets for a new product line, we train on your manuals, fault tables and a sample unit, and we follow your procedures.
Do we have to sign an exclusive or long-term contract?
No. We are non-exclusive and charge no onboarding or annual fee. You can start with one deployment or one repair at our published rates and decide afterwards.
How much does it cost?
Repairs use our published rates: $200 CAD diagnostic per visit (credited against an approved repair), $100 CAD call-out per visit in the Greater Vancouver core zone, $150 CAD/hour on-site labour, before GST. US jobs: $200 USD diagnostic and $150 USD/hour, travel quoted per project. Deployments, maintenance programs, demos and travel outside the core zone are quoted per project before any work starts.
Do you cover the United States?
Yes. We're based in Greater Vancouver and go on site in the US per project, with travel quoted in advance. Cross-border work has its own checks (entry status, tools and parts at the border, insurance), which we confirm with you before each job.
Can you work under our brand?
Yes. We can show up as KeepRobots, or white-label: your uniform, your ticketing system, your report templates. The customer relationship stays yours.
Will you keep our documentation confidential?
Yes. We can sign your NDA before you send manuals, schematics or firmware tools, and we only use them for your tickets.
Contact
[email protected] (English or Chinese). Tell us your robot, where your North American customers are, and what you need. We reply within one business day. Or use the form on our partners page. 中文读者：北美现场服务合作 · 美国机器人售后服务