Rebl Industries Secures IKEA and H&M as Customers for Robots-as-a-Service Platform
Rebl Industries’ AI-powered robots have been successfully used in real production environments for years. The company is now taking the next step in its global expansion.
In the global race to automate logistics, one Swedish company is making decisive moves. Rebl Industries, a Stockholm-based robotics specialist, recently announced framework agreements with two of the country’s most recognisable international brands: H&M and IKEA Svenska AB. The deals will see Rebl’s next-generation Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform deployed in high-volume warehouses, targeting some of the most complex and labour-intensive parts of the supply chain.
It is a milestone that not only validates the company’s technology at the highest level but also signals a broader shift in how automation will be deployed in retail and logistics. MoveTheNeedle.news spoke with CEO Tengelin, who joined Rebl earlier this year, to understand the company’s mission, its technology, and what comes next as it scales from startup to category leader.
Closing the gaps in warehouse automation
When asked to distil Rebl’s mission into simple terms, Tengelin frames it around solving problems that have resisted automation until now.
“Rebl’s mission is to transform warehousing by managing heavy, repetitive and high-risk tasks with intelligent robots that are deployed as a service. Our robots solve the biggest remaining automation gaps: the inbound and outbound flows of warehouse operation, tasks that have previously been too complex or unpredictable for traditional automation.”
Warehousing has seen waves of investment in robotics over the past two decades, from conveyor systems and automated storage to goods-to-person robots. Yet the so-called first mile (receiving, unloading, depalletising) and last mile (palletising and preparing goods for outbound flows) have largely remained manual. These processes require handling a dizzying variety of packages, shapes, and weights, often under time pressure.
By targeting precisely these areas, Rebl is positioning itself as the company that will close the “automation gaps” and unlock higher efficiency across entire logistics networks.
Rebl Workmates: Robots for unpredictable work
Rebl’s robots – branded Rebl Workmates – are designed for the tough jobs.
“Rebl Workmates are AI-powered robots that automate unloading, depalletizing, sorting, induction, palletising and loading tasks in high-throughput warehouses. What sets them apart is their ability to handle unsorted, unpredictable, and variable goods at high speed with advanced technology and as a service, capabilities not found in traditional automation,” Tengelin explains.
Traditional automation is often rigid, requiring carefully structured input and consistent packaging. Rebl’s proposition lies in flexibility: its AI-powered systems can cope with the real-world messiness of retail logistics, from irregular boxes to mixed pallets. That adaptability could make the difference for global retailers who need to handle seasonal surges, fast-changing product mixes, and unpredictable supply chains.
The RaaS advantage: Zero CapEx, performance-based pricing
Beyond the hardware and AI, Rebl’s most significant innovation may be its business model. Instead of selling robots outright, the company offers them as a managed service.
“Our platform delivers robots as a full-stack service – including hardware, orchestration software, remote monitoring, and lifecycle support – with zero CapEx. We take responsibility for solving the task at hand. Retailers only pay for performance, not equipment, which de-risks the investment and enables fast deployment, even in existing brownfield sites. This flexibility, combined with real-time optimisation and continuous upgrades, makes RaaS a smarter, more scalable path to automation," says Tengelin.
For global retailers like H&M and IKEA, this approach removes the traditional barriers of capital expenditure and integration risk. Instead of a multi-year procurement and installation process, companies can deploy robots quickly, pay based on throughput, and rely on Rebl for continuous improvement.
In essence, Rebl is treating robots not as machines but as digital staff, with performance guaranteed and costs aligned to value.
Scaling with a hybrid model
The challenge, of course, lies in scaling such a service-intensive model. Rebl is expanding rapidly but is careful about which activities it keeps in-house, says Tengelin.
“We are scaling with a hybrid model that keeps core capabilities like software development, product leadership, and customer success in-house while working with selected partners to accelerate on-site deployment and support. As we grow, we will continue to expand internal capabilities and strengthen partnerships to support volume deployments.”
This balance allows Rebl to maintain control over its intellectual property and customer experience while leveraging partners for physical deployment and service coverage. It is a structure similar to those adopted by cloud providers or SaaS companies – centralising the platform while localising delivery.
H&M and IKEA: Proof points at global scale
Rebl Industries’ AI-powered robots have been successfully used in real production environments for years, but securing IKEA and H&M as customers is no small feat. Both companies operate some of the most complex and globalised supply chains in retail, with vast warehouse footprints and millions of product lines.
“At H&M and IKEA, our robots are deployed to automate inbound and outbound processes like feeding sortation systems and palletising outbound goods, tasks traditionally done manually under high time pressure. These agreements validate our service and technology at the highest level and mark our shift from startup to scale-up, with a clear path to becoming a category leader in warehouse robotics.”
The choice of inbound and outbound processes is significant: they are pain points where human labour is both costly and difficult to secure. The agreements suggest that both H&M and IKEA see RaaS not as a small experiment but as a strategic capability to increase resilience and efficiency.
For Rebl, the deals mark a turning point. With marquee customers on board, the company can demonstrate proof of value and scale beyond Sweden.
A new category: Robotic staffing as a service
For Tengelin personally, joining Rebl was about timing and ambition.
“I joined Rebl because of its unique position at the intersection of AI, robotics, and logistics – solving real-world problems with clear impact – at an inflection point in the company’s journey. My focus is to industrialise the business, scale global delivery, and build a high-performing team and partner ecosystem. The opportunity lies in defining a new category of robotic staffing as a service; the challenge is to scale execution rapidly to meet growing global demand while maintaining excellence in service, product and technology.”
The phrase “robotic staffing as a service” captures how Rebl wants to be perceived: not as a machine supplier, but as a provider of digital labour. Just as cloud computing transformed IT by shifting costs from CapEx to OpEx and abstracting away complexity, Rebl aims to do the same for warehouse work.
The road ahead
As automation accelerates globally, the pressure to scale is immense. Labour shortages, rising e-commerce volumes, and demand for faster delivery are pushing warehouses to their limits. At the same time, sustainability pressures mean companies must do more with less energy and waste.
Rebl’s RaaS approach offers a potential answer: flexible, scalable automation that adapts to existing sites and pays for itself in productivity gains. But execution will be everything. Scaling from a few deployments to hundreds across multiple geographies requires not just technology but logistics, partnerships, and operational excellence.
For now, securing IKEA and H&M gives Rebl the credibility and runway to prove itself on the global stage. If it succeeds, it may not just automate warehouses – it could redefine the economics of robotics in logistics.