How to prepare your site for robotisation
What to do on the client side BEFORE equipment arrives. Skip it and you lose 2—4 weeks at launch.
The most common reason robotics deployments slip is an unprepared site. The client thinks “the robot will arrive and work”, but in reality 30—50% of launch time goes into site prep that could have been done ahead of time.
This guide is the prep checklist we hand clients after contract signing — it cuts go-live time noticeably.
TL;DR
- Check infrastructure: even floor, aisle width, power, Wi-Fi.
- Charging stations — pick locations BEFORE equipment arrives. Run power ahead of time.
- Staff — minimum 2 people responsible for the robot, schedule training hours.
- Internal processes — decide who's accountable for routine maintenance, service tickets, logging.
Site infrastructure
Floors. Check floor flatness (max 5 mm variation per 1 m), no thresholds >2 cm, no slip hazards. If the floor needs repair — do it before equipment arrives, not after.
Aisles. Measure critical narrow points — between tables in a restaurant, between racks in a warehouse, in doorways. Minimum 90 cm for most models; 110—120 cm for AGVs carrying pallets.
Power. Charging stations need standard 220V/16A sockets (or 110V for US-region models). Charging draw is 1—3 kW per station. If the network is weak or sockets are far from the planned zone — run new wiring early.
Wi-Fi. Most robots use Wi-Fi for control-system integration. You need 5 GHz coverage across the entire operating zone, with no dead spots. For large sites — add mesh points.
Charging stations and space
Each robot returns to charge 1—3 times per shift. Charging spots should be picked early on three criteria:
1. Not in client or staff walking paths (the robot occupies 60×80 cm on the dock, plus cables). 2. Power access (see above). 3. Wi-Fi coverage — the robot must be online even when charging, for remote diagnostics.
If there are several robots, group docks in one zone (a “garage”). It simplifies monitoring and service. Optimal garage area: 2 m² per robot plus 0.5 m² of approach space per attendant.
Staff and training
Minimum 2 people on the client side must be accountable for the robots:
— Senior operator / shift lead: understands the functionality, updates protocols, coordinates with service. — Shift operator: starts/stops, charges, performs basic care (cleaning brushes, checking sensors).
Training — minimum 4 hours per accountable person. Theory + practice + typical-problem scenarios. Done during installation, not after — otherwise on go-live day the team is operating blind.
For chains or large sites, add a brief shift-wide training — 30—60 minutes — focused on “what to do if the robot acts strange” and “how not to get in its way”.
Internal processes
Before equipment arrives, agree these processes at management level:
— Who takes problem reports from staff? (Usually the senior operator.) — Who escalates to service if the issue isn't resolved? (Nexum's contact is fixed at training stage.) — How is the robot's operation logged? (Manufacturer cloud panel + weekly KPI report.) — Who's accountable for regular consumables (filters, brushes, detergents)? (Usually the site manager.) — What does the shift do if the robot fails? (Fallback scenario kicks in — usually “work without the robot”.)
These five questions seem obvious, but unless the answers are fixed in writing BEFORE go-live, by week three someone discovers “no one knew”, and the project stalls.
Want a concrete estimate for your case?
The guide answers “how” and “why”. Concrete “how much and how long” is a separate conversation. Start with the 2-minute audit or just write to us.