Verifying a Claimed Installation Count

Illustrations in this article are AI-generated topic images, not photographs of the equipment discussed.

An installed-base figure is a common proof point in robotics marketing. It is also one of the least standardised, because shipped, installed, operating and retained counts measure different things.

Four definitions in one number

Shipped counts what left the factory. Installed counts what was put in place. Operating counts what is still running today. Retained counts what a customer chose to keep or repurchase. Only the last two say much about satisfaction, and only the last one says anything about retention over time. A large shipped figure with weak retention describes churn rather than adoption.

Time window and geography

A figure without a period and a region cannot be compared with another. Ten thousand units across fifteen years and four continents is a different claim from ten thousand units in one market this year.

Counting units and counting sites

Some vendors count robots, others count deployments or customers. A single site with thirty units and thirty sites with one unit each are very different references for a buyer who needs local support.

A practical check

Ask for the definition in writing, and for the number of units commissioned in the last twelve months in your region. That figure is far more useful than a lifetime total, because it describes the support network a buyer would actually be joining, including whether engineers and spare parts are held in the region.

This article explains counting conventions. It verifies no specific claim.