Siemens, Expert Technologies Group and RMGroup are teaming up to build the UK’s first fully customisable autonomous mobile robot manufacturing capability. [S1]
For a specifying engineer sourcing material handling platforms, this is a domestic end-to-end stack you can quote on a drawing: a local build, local support, and a navigation layer that is selectable per facility rather than a fixed AGV track layout. The combination of SIMOVE control, laser-based free navigation and wireless safety zones lets you specify mixed-mode cells where some areas stay track-based and others run free-ranging, which directly affects floor-marking, safety zoning and integrator selection on a UK site. [S1]
What was announced
Siemens has partnered with Expert Technologies Group and RMGroup to manufacture what the companies describe as the UK’s first fully customisable autonomous mobile robot capability, with the units built in the UK and positioned for materials movement in factories and warehouses. [S1]
The release frames the offering as an end-to-end AMR solution, drawing a contrast with traditional automated guided vehicles by emphasising onboard sensors and infrastructure-light mobility in dynamic industrial environments. [S1]
Names, platforms and stated capabilities
The technical stack is anchored on Siemens SIMOVE, which the release describes as the enabling technology for scalable, hyperflexible AMRs and a foundation for autonomous logistics, warehouse management and real-time data capture for digital twin simulations. [S1]
Expert Technologies Group contributes the FlexDrive AMR platform, built on Siemens SIMOVE core control systems, with stated features covering drive platform flexibility, path planning, obstacle avoidance and real-time dynamic positioning. RMGroup contributes laser-based navigation software that supports both conventional track-based operation and true free navigation, paired with wireless safety technology using real-time location-based safety zones. [S1]
Quoted figures and roles are limited to those in the source: Brian Holliday, Managing Director for Siemens in the UK & Ireland; James Nicholls, Operations and Commercial Director at RMGroup; and Paul Fletcher, Senior Manager at Expert Technologies Group. Paul Fletcher’s statement references support for enterprise fleets of one hundred plus robots. [S1]
What it means for AMR specification
For a specifier, the practical change is the option to mix track-based and free-navigation behaviour within a single supplier ecosystem, which affects how safety zones are drawn, how floor markings are detailed, and how the controls integrator is scoped. Because the FlexDrive platform is positioned as adaptable to different tasks, industries and environments, the bill of materials for drives, payload decks and safety scanners is no longer a single fixed configuration but a selectable set. [S1]
The partnership also extends to commercial terms through Siemens Financial Services, which the release describes as offering tailored financing for both internal innovation and end-user investment, a factor that may shift capex versus opex decisions on a project. [S1]
How to verify at the source
The full press notice, including the Brian Holliday, James Nicholls and Paul Fletcher quotes, is published on the Siemens UK newsroom at the source URL above, and is the primary record for partner roles, platform names and feature claims. [S1]
Before specifying, cross-check the FlexDrive drive options, the SIMOVE interface boundaries, the RMGroup safety zone implementation, and the stated one hundred plus robot fleet figure directly with Siemens, Expert Technologies Group and RMGroup, and confirm the Transform 2026 event details, listed as a two-day conference on July 15 and 16 at Manchester Central, on the linked Siemens events page. [S1]
Primary notice: Industry news.
Product encyclopedia: Autonomous Mobile Robot.