Argentine couple launches robotics firm at nearly 70
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Nora Palacios and Rodolfo Carlés, an Argentine couple nearing age 70, recently expanded their 40-year-old company, Counter, into the robotics industry.
The pair initially founded Counter in 1986 after taking over a portion of a bill-counting machine company when its owners decided to close it. They built the business to 27 employees by focusing on cash management machines like counters, sorters, and bundlers. As demand for cash handling decreased, Palacios and Carlés sought new ventures.
During a technology fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, they discovered service robots, machines that can deliver items and perform cleaning tasks. Palacios was initially uninterested in robotics, but a demonstration of a robot delivering her coffee sparked a new business idea. Counter now imports robots costing between $8,000 and $40,000, depending on the model. These robots are being tested in businesses like Café Martínez and YPF, assisting waiters and cleaning large spaces.
The company is also developing secure cash-carrying cases with ink-expulsion and tracking systems to reduce losses during transport, and is piloting the system with Petersen Group banks. Palacios predicts widespread robot use in Argentina by 2030, emphasizing their potential to improve productivity rather than replace workers.
