Short answer: Vet a robotics distributor in a new market on service capability first and sales record second. Robots are installed, commissioned and repaired locally or not at all, so the partner who matters is the one with engineers, spare parts and references in your product's weight class — not the one with the glossiest importer catalogue. Channels for finding candidates, including this site's Launchpad and the company directory, and the wider channel strategy in our guide to how robotics manufacturers find distributors, are the easy part. The vetting is the work.
Where good candidates actually come from
Start adjacent: distributors of complementary equipment (machine tools, welding gear, automation components) already call on your buyers and already employ service engineers. Trade fairs in the target market let you walk a candidate's booth and watch them work a stand. Existing customers with operations in the country can tell you who services their other equipment well. And ask candidates about each other — in most markets the three serious players know exactly who the other two are, and their descriptions of rivals are a free reference check. Build a longlist from at least two independent sources before talking terms with anyone.
The service audit: engineers, parts, references
Ask for the service organisation in numbers you can verify: how many service engineers, where they are based, what response time they contract with existing customers, and which brands they currently service — then call two of those customers. Ask what spare parts they hold in country today and what they would hold for your line; a distributor who stocks nothing services nothing quickly. Visit, or have someone visit, the premises: a real service business has a workshop, a parts shelf with dust on the slow movers, and a training corner. A sales office has a showroom. Both can sell the first order; only one can keep the tenth machine running.
Territory, exclusivity and the first order
Exclusivity is earned in stages, not granted at signing. A workable pattern: a defined territory (a country, or a region of a large one), an initial non-exclusive or short exclusive trial period, and exclusivity that renews against agreed activity — trained engineers certified, demo equipment bought, pipeline built, first installations referenced. The first order is part of the test: a candidate who buys demo stock is investing in the line; a candidate who wants consignment everything is renting you their risk. Put the staging in writing, with dates, so the conversation in month nine is about the record rather than about interpretations.
Conflicts and portfolio fit
Read the candidate's existing portfolio the way they will read yours. A direct competitor's line in the same catalogue is not automatically disqualifying — many strong distributors carry two brands at different price points — but you need to know which brand gets the lead when a buyer asks for 'a welding robot'. Ask directly, and ask how leads are routed. Also check the financial basics appropriate to the market: how long the company has traded, whether it imports in its own name, and how it handles warranty claims with its current principals. Distributor failure mid-territory is the most expensive channel event there is; an hour of checking is cheap insurance.
The first 90 days, planned before signing
Agree the launch plan as part of the appointment, not after it: engineer training and certification at your factory or online, the demo unit's arrival and first customer demonstrations, a target account list you build together from their relationships and your profile of the ideal buyer, and a joint visit programme for the first installations. Set the reporting rhythm — a simple pipeline and activity report, monthly at first — while goodwill is high and habits are forming. Most distributor relationships that fail were never actually launched; they were announced. The 90-day plan is the difference.
Write the exit before you need it
A good agreement covers the ending while everyone is friendly: notice period, what happens to stock and spare parts, who serves the installed base during and after the transition, and how customer data and open quotations are handled. This is not pessimism; installed robots outlive most distribution agreements, and your obligation to the end customers — service continuity — survives whoever holds the territory. Candidates who accept clear exit terms are usually the ones who never trigger them.
Frequently asked questions
What matters most when choosing a robotics distributor in a new country?
Service capability: engineers in the territory, spare parts held locally, and reference customers for the brands they already service. A distributor is your service desk and reputation in that market; sales reach without service backing fails at the first breakdown.
Should a new distributor get exclusivity immediately?
Generally no. Stage it: a defined territory, a trial period, and exclusivity that renews against agreed activity such as certified engineers, demo stock purchased and first reference installations. Put the stages and dates in writing.
Where do good distributor candidates come from?
Distributors of complementary equipment who already serve your buyers, trade fairs in the target market, referrals from your existing customers operating in the country, and industry directories and platforms such as the GlobleMatch Launchpad and company directory.
What should the first 90 days of a distributor appointment include?
Engineer training and certification, arrival of demo equipment and first demonstrations, a jointly built target account list, a visit programme for early installations, and an agreed reporting rhythm — agreed before signing, while habits are forming.