Circus SE’s Operational Milestone: 92% Robot Uptime Paves Way for Production Leap

Autonomous cooking-robot developer Circus SE achieves 92% fleet uptime, plans monthly output of 64 CA-1 units by Q4, and enters defence market with NATO orders.

A jump in system reliability has given Circus SE something it desperately needed: hard data to back its industrial-scale ambitions. The autonomous cooking-robot developer reported that uptime across its active CA-1 fleet hit 92% in April, up from roughly 70% at the start of the year and comfortably above the industry benchmark of 85%. For a company whose stock has shed more than half its value over the past twelve months, that number matters more than any roadmap.

The shares closed Thursday at €8.08, bringing the year?to?date decline to 32.95% and the 12?month loss to 52.47%. That leaves the stock more than 64% below its 52?week high of €22.80. Technical analysts, however, see a possible floor forming: the price crossed its 20?day moving average this week and the relative strength index sits at 24, deep in oversold territory.

From prototypes to volume

The CA?1 robot, designed for commercial kitchens and military field kitchens, is the centrepiece of Circus’s transition from a development story to a production company. The company built just 16 units at the start of the current ramp but plans to raise monthly output to 64 by the fourth quarter, with annual capacity ultimately reaching 1,000 units through process optimisation at its existing site. A backlog of more than 550 robots already sits on the books.

To accelerate the timeline, Circus has struck two strategic acquisitions. The full takeover of Kitchen Robotics — a low?six?figure cash deal — brings a portfolio of patents and software that already carries US NSF certifications, allowing the company to skip the usual regulatory slog. The US market entry is now slated for the second half of 2026, earlier than originally planned. Separately, the acquisition of Belgian food?robotics specialist Alberts is expected to close at the end of the second quarter. Alberts’ compact systems, which require only one square metre of floor space, target offices, clinics and educational facilities, broadening Circus’s addressable market beyond large?scale catering.

Defence orders add a second gear

Circus is also pushing into a very different customer base. Under the label “Circus Defence,” it has secured integrations with the German Bundeswehr and the Lithuanian armed forces, and is in talks with more than ten additional NATO member states. The newly developed CAM robot, built for outdoor and austere environments, has passed its prototype tests and is expected to generate its first revenues in the third quarter.

The defence angle gives the company two distinct growth engines — but it also raises the execution bar. Military field kitchens demand rugged reliability, and the margin for error in supply?chain and service logistics is far thinner than in a commercial restaurant.

Revenue leap and the next test

For the current financial year, Circus is guiding for sales of between €44 million and €55 million, up from roughly €250,000 last year. Achieving that requires more than optimism: pilots with partners such as REWE and Mercedes?Benz’s in?house catering operation must convert into binding rollout contracts. That will be the focus of the July half?year operational update, followed by the annual general meeting in Munich in August.

Analysts at mwb research have reiterated a buy rating with a €46.00 price target. The market, however, is demanding proof of repeatable execution — and the 92% uptime figure is the closest thing to a concrete answer yet.