Lead the Robotics Channel: How Physical Ai Is Opening the Door for Continuum Dealers
By Mason Bright | Greg Report Ai 2027
A PwC report on Physical Ai confirms what the Cricket Continuum already sees in the field. Robotics is entering the real world of business, and the dealer channel is positioned to deploy it.
Walk through any office technology dealership and the rhythm is familiar. Service vans in the lot. A warehouse with equipment staged for delivery. Technicians moving through service calls. Sales teams working accounts built over decades. The infrastructure is there. What is changing is the category of machines moving through it.
A recent PwC strategy report on Physical Ai helps clarify where the market is heading. Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to software. It is moving into machines that sense, decide, and act in the real world. Robots, mobile systems, and autonomous devices are becoming part of everyday business operations.
A €430 Billion Market Forming
PwC estimates the Physical Ai market could approach €430 billion by 2030. The scale of that number reflects how many industries are beginning to adopt automation that operates in the physical world. Robotics is moving beyond research labs and warehouses and into service environments such as hospitality, healthcare, retail, and office operations.
For dealers evaluating robotics, this signals a large addressable market forming across the same commercial environments they already serve.
Most Deployments Are Still Pilots
Despite the market size projections, the report makes another point clear. Most robotics deployments today remain pilot projects rather than large-scale installations. Companies are testing systems, learning operational limits, and evaluating return on investment.
This stage is important. It means the industry has not yet reached the mass deployment phase. The infrastructure needed to scale these technologies across thousands of businesses is still forming.
That infrastructure includes sales channels, field service networks, and deployment expertise.
Integration and Deployment Capture Major Value
PwC also outlines the value chain surrounding Physical Ai. It includes cloud computing, sensors, actuators, robot hardware, and system integration. One conclusion stands out.
The robots themselves capture only part of the economic value. System integration and deployment services represent a significant share of the long-term opportunity.
This mirrors what happened in managed print services. Hardware created the platform, but recurring revenue came from deployment, support, and lifecycle management.
Remember MpS?
Anyone who has worked through the managed print era will recognize the pattern.
Dealers already know how to deploy fleets of equipment across distributed locations. They maintain service agreements, manage uptime, finance installations, and support long-term customer relationships. These capabilities translate directly into the robotics market.
The difference is the type of machine.
Instead of managing fleets of printers and copiers, dealers will manage fleets of delivery robots, hospitality robots, autonomous cleaning systems, and other workplace machines.
That is the role the Cricket Continuum was built to support.
The Moment to Enter the Continuum
For dealers not yet participating in the Continuum, the timing matters. The robotics market is forming now, before large-scale deployments begin. Early participants gain access to OEM relationships, operational training, and experience deploying robotic systems in real environments.
Those who enter early help shape how robotics is introduced into business environments across the country.
The Next Phase for Continuum Members
For current Continuum members, the focus now shifts toward expansion. This is the time to identify new prospects and environments where robotics can deliver measurable value. Dealers should also work closely with existing Continuum robot OEM partners to explore new applications and deployment models.
Hospitals, hospitality groups, automotive dealerships, logistics centers, and commercial offices are already evaluating automation technologies.
Physical Ai is beginning to move from concept to commercial reality.
The dealer channel has built its reputation on installing and supporting business infrastructure. Robotics is the next generation of that infrastructure.
The Continuum exists to help the channel take that next step.
~ Mason