Robotics Field Service in DACH: SLA, Logistics, Responsibilities

A patrol robot replaces guard personnel only if the service behind it holds up. Three numbers decide: 48 hours to initial delivery, 24 hours to replacement unit, 4 hours response time on P1 outages. Whoever does not contractually commit to these values is selling hardware. Not a security operation.

Robotics Field Service: What the SLA Must Deliver in DACH

Field service covers four deliverables: initial on-site installation, preventive maintenance at fixed intervals, repair on fault, and provision of a replacement unit on hardware failure. Each of these deliverables has a defined response time, otherwise it is not an SLA. It remains a statement of intent.

The Quarero standard for DACH sites: 48 hours to initial delivery after contract signature, 24 hours to a functional replacement unit on hardware failure, monthly preventive on-site inspection. This standard applies to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, backed by service hubs in Frankfurt, Vienna and Zurich.

Field service is contractually included in the Robotics-as-a-Service model in detail. There is no separate maintenance contract, no hourly rate per technician, no travel flat fee. The monthly rent includes all service components, except damage from vandalism above the agreed deductible.

The distinction from hardware purchase matters for the procurement decision. With CapEx procurement, the operator carries the outage risk, holds spare parts on stock or signs a separate maintenance framework contract. The hourly rate for a qualified field engineer in DACH ranges between 95 and 140 euros, excluding travel. [Insert source]

Next step: review the pricing model of the three tiers including service components.

Response Times and Escalation Chains

Incident classification governs resource dispatch. Three priority levels are defined in the SLA.

P1 outage applies when the robot is offline and no patrol operation is running. NOC response within 4 hours, replacement unit on site within 24 hours. P1 applies regardless of time of day or day of week.

P2 fault describes restricted sensor capability, for example thermal camera failure on QR-2, with patrol still running. Remote diagnostics within 8 hours, on-site intervention within 48 hours. The robot remains in operation during this period, the customer is informed about reduced detection performance.

P3 maintenance is scheduled, without functional restriction. Appointment within the agreed monthly window, normally on working days between 08:00 and 18:00, on customer request also at night.

The escalation path is linear: NOC first contact records the incident, the regional field engineer takes over on-site dispatch, the Sales Lead DACH is brought in for contract questions or escalation. For Switzerland, Marcus Köhnlein, Field Lead Switzerland is escalation level three.

Every incident is documented in the service log. The monthly report goes to the named security manager and plant manager and contains response times, root cause analysis and corrective actions. This documentation is also relevant for KRITIS auditors.

What Happens During the 48-Hour Initial Delivery

The 48 hours start with contract signature and transmission of site data. Before this point, site plan, power connection position and connectivity option (LTE or customer-owned WLAN) must be clarified.

Day 0: contract signed, site data transmitted to Quarero, NOC creates configuration profile.

Day 1: the robot is preconfigured in the responsible hub. Patrol routes are set up based on the site plan, geofence boundaries are set, alarm recipients (control room, plant security, police optionally) are configured. Firmware is brought to the current release level.

Day 2: delivery to site, physical commissioning, SLAM mapping of the perimeter by the field engineer, control room training of 2 hours duration. Training covers alarm acknowledgement and manual control. Emergency stop operation is practiced separately.

The handover checklist has five mandatory points: emergency stop test passed, communication loss behaviour verified, escalation numbers stored. In addition: data protection documentation per GDPR Art. 35 handed over, and commissioning protocol signed. The 24-month contract term begins only after successful acceptance.

What does not work: sites without prepared power connection or without mobile data coverage. Here initial delivery is postponed until structural prerequisites are in place.

Preventive Maintenance and Software Updates

Maintenance is not contract fine print, it determines availability. Three intervals are defined.

Monthly on-site inspection: cleaning of optical and thermal sensors, check of tires or wheels, battery capacity measurement against the reference value, firmware check. Duration about 45 minutes, without interrupting the operation of other robots on site.

Quarterly deep maintenance: replacement of wear parts such as brushes and seals, LiDAR recalibration on QR-3 with LiDAR and drone detection, actuator check. Duration 2 to 3 hours per unit.

Over-the-air updates for software: security patches are rolled out within 72 hours after publication of relevant CVEs by the BSI. Functional updates follow a planned release cycle with prior notice.

Annual safety inspection per EN ISO 13482, which defines requirements for autonomous mobile service robots including maintenance and inspection documentation. In addition, requirements of the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 apply for conformity, updates and market surveillance of autonomous mobile machines.

The full maintenance log is available on request for auditors, for example during KRITIS audits by the BBK or in the context of internal ISO 27001 audits.

Replacement Unit Logic: Why 24 Hours Is the Standard

Hardware fails. Battery pack, actuator, main board: every component has a finite lifetime. The SLA-relevant question is not whether failure occurs, but how quickly patrol operation resumes.

Quarero keeps pool units of all three tiers at each service hub: QR-1 for indoor patrol, QR-2 for outdoor perimeter, QR-3 for KRITIS sites. On failure, a pool unit is flashed with the customer device configuration backup. Patrol routes, geofence boundaries, alarm recipients and sensor calibration are pulled from the Quarero cloud.

Data continuity is the actual added value. If configuration were stored only on the device, the site would have to be remapped after every swap. That means 4 to 6 hours of downtime. In the Quarero model, the replacement unit is operational on arrival.

Comparison with classic guard service: a 24/7 post corresponds to 15,000 to 25,000 euros per month based on BDSW industry data and standard market personnel calculation. A short-notice replacement post is not available within 24 hours depending on region and collective bargaining area. This applies especially on weekends and in rural regions.

In the RaaS model, no additional costs arise for the customer on device swap. Travel, configuration, commissioning of the replacement unit are included in the monthly rent. The TCO comparison of guard service and robotics shows the cumulative effect over 24 months.

Site Coverage in Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Response times are a function of site density. SLA values apply within defined coverage zones.

Germany: service hubs in Frankfurt for Rhine-Main, Hamburg for northern Germany, Munich for southern Germany. 95 percent of relevant industrial sites are reachable within 4 hours of travel time. [Insert source] Sites in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Vorpommern may require longer response times, which are explicitly stated in the contract.

Austria: Vienna hub, coverage areas Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Klagenfurt. Alpine sites above 1,200 meters or with restricted winter access receive extended P1 response times of 6 hours, with prior notice for weather conditions.

Switzerland: Zurich hub, coverage of the economic areas Basel, Bern, Geneva, St. Gallen. Sales and field lead is Marcus Köhnlein. Swiss customers benefit from short routes, as the Zurich hub requires no border formalities for domestic interventions.

Cross-border logistics: for DE-CH and DE-AT, customs procedures for replacement units are pre-cleared, with established Carnet ATA procedures or simplified export. There is no standstill due to border formalities on acute P1 cases.

KRITIS sites with QR-3 configuration receive priority in dispatch. On simultaneous P1 incidents at a KRITIS and a non-KRITIS site, the KRITIS site is served first.

Responsibilities: What the Operator Provides, What Quarero Provides

Responsibilities are listed in the contract annex. This clarity prevents later disputes in damage cases.

The operator provides: charging position with 230 V Schuko connection, LTE reception or customer-owned WLAN with defined port releases, drivable surface on patrol routes, current site plan, named point of contact in the control room with 24/7 availability.

Quarero provides: hardware in the agreed tier configuration, connectivity stack including SIM card on request, maintenance per SLA, replacement unit on failure, software licenses, control room training, operating liability insurance for the robot.

Liability boundaries on damage: vandalism, sabotage and theft are covered by Quarero insurance. The deductible is defined in the contract. It typically ranges between 1,500 and 5,000 euros per incident, depending on tier. Damage from grossly negligent handling by operator personnel (for example collision with a forklift without proper geofence observance) is not covered.

Data protection: a data processing agreement per GDPR Art. 28 is part of the contract. Data processing takes place in EU data centers in Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Raw video data is stored for 72 hours, metadata and alarm events for 90 days.

For NIS-2-obligated customers this matters: as a service provider to essential and important entities, Quarero is subject to the supply chain requirements of the NIS-2 Directive. The corresponding evidence (TISAX, ISO 27001, penetration test reports) is available under NDA.

Field Service vs. In-House Operation: TCO Comparison

The plant manager's procurement decision falls between two models: purchase with in-house operation or RaaS with field service. Full cost over 24 months is the relevant criterion.

In-house operation (CapEx): acquisition 80,000 to 120,000 euros per unit depending on tier [insert source], annual maintenance 8,000 to 15,000 euros through an internal field engineer or contracted firm [insert source], plus spare parts inventory or framework contract with lead time. Additional costs arise for training, insurance and software license fees.

In-house operation risk: downtime on hardware failure due to lack of replacement unit. Procurement of new components in DACH takes 4 to 8 weeks depending on manufacturer. [Insert source] For KRITIS sites, this duration is regulatorily problematic, because the protective measure is not continuously effective.

RaaS with field service: QR-2 for 24/7 outdoor patrol at 3,500 euros per month, all service costs included, replacement unit within 24 hours. Over 24 months this amounts to 84,000 euros total cost without residual value on the balance sheet.

Break-even calculation: RaaS remains cheaper than in-house operation over 24 months as soon as a single outage with downtime of more than 5 days occurs. With multiple devices on site, this probability rises proportionally. Plant managers with three or more robots reach the statistical threshold within 18 months.

Balance sheet effect: RaaS is OpEx, no depreciation, immediate tax effect as operating expense. In-house operation is CapEx with depreciation over 6 to 8 years per AfA tables. With shorter technical useful life, unscheduled depreciation arises.

When in-house operation makes sense: sites with long-term planning certainty over 5 years, an internal qualified field engineering team and a need for deep hardware modification. When RaaS makes sense: variable site requirements, no internal robotics service team planned, CFO mandate to shift to OpEx.

For the architecture decision in multi-site setups, the article on hybrid perimeter protection architecture in industrial parks describes the interplay of guard service, robotics and sensor technology.

Plant managers preparing the next step: SLA clauses, service hub allocation and contract templates are available under Robotics-as-a-Service model in detail. The procurement decision stands or falls with contractually committed response times, not with the hardware datasheet.