ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION
A hive of activity How Abbee Limited’s robotics are revolutionising commercial cleaning.
Abbee Limited is transforming commercial cleaning with its innovative robotic vacuum technology. Launched in 2024 after a rebrand from an earlier incarnation, the organisation focuses on developing robotic cleaning solutions tailored specifically for large commercial spaces, from offices to schools and hotels.
While most robotic vacuum companies focus on the domestic market, Abbee has carved a niche by designing robots that can operate at scale and provide an efficient, automated solution for businesses that need to clean large spaces with ease.
Abbee’s flagship product, the Abbee robot, is truly innovating commercial cleaning. The company imports the robot chassis from China and then reconfigures and remanufactures them in the UK, making key modifications for ease of use in commercial environments – but it doesn’t stop there. The company’s Hive system – a custom-built trolley designed to charge, store and transport multiple robots simultaneously – is a key innovation that enables businesses to operate multiple cleaning robots at once, reducing the need for manual intervention.
Michael Richardson, founder of Abbee Limited, said: “We don’t just provide robots for cleaning; we provide a complete solution for businesses that want to scale up their cleaning operations.”
Cutting-edge commercial robotics
Abbee’s journey started with a simple idea: bring robotics to the cleaning industry. Originally, the company thought it would focus on the domestic market; however, after a quick market assessment, the team realised that the UK’s residential demand wasn’t large enough to support long- term growth. That’s when Abbee pivoted to focus on the commercial market.
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Michael commented: “We quickly realised that the domestic market wasn’t going to give us the scale we needed. The commercial sector, on the other hand, was growing fast, and that’s when we started rethinking what cleaning robots could really do for businesses.”
This shift in focus sparked the development of Abbee’s signature robot, designed to meet the needs of large-scale commercial operations. It wasn’t enough to simply have a robot that cleaned – Abbee needed to create a product that could handle multiple robots operating simultaneously without causing disruption.
Michael explained: “We had to rethink everything, design- wise. In a home environment, a single robot is fine. However, in a commercial environment you need to think about managing multiple robots at once; for example, how they are charged, how they are stored and how they are operated.”
The answer was the Hive, a system that stores, charges and transports robots seamlessly. It allows for large-scale deployment, making it easier for businesses to manage operations on a larger scale without worrying about logistical issues.
Michael added: “Our customers are operating on a larger scale; for example, we work with big companies in industries as diverse as energy, asset management and more, and these organisations can have up to 150 robots running at once. That’s where the Hive system really comes into its own.”
Vacuuming up competition with innovation
Breaking into a competitive market wasn’t without its challenges. While domestic robots are designed to navigate a relatively straightforward space, commercial cleaning demands something different: flexibility, reliability and the
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