The transformation of Munich-based Circus SE from a niche kitchen robotics firm into a serious defense and industrial automation player is accelerating. The company’s latest operational milestones reveal a business scaling its production capabilities while aggressively pursuing military contracts, all underpinned by a growing reliance on its proprietary artificial intelligence platform.
A pivotal moment came on April 21, when the German Bundeswehr officially deployed Circus’s first autonomous CA-1 supply system at a secured military site. This transition from pilot projects to active, security-critical use is a significant symbolic step. The systems are already operational in Ukraine, deployed through the BRAVE1 defense program to support ground troops. Beyond these active deployments, Circus is currently in negotiations with over ten NATO member states, including Poland and Italy, regarding the adoption of its robotic systems. Company management now expects its first revenue from the defense sector in 2026, a full two years ahead of the original schedule.
This surging demand is being met with a parallel manufacturing ramp-up. In collaboration with production partner Celestica, Circus expanded its production floor space by 60% in the first quarter. The build time for a CA-1 unit has been slashed from eight weeks to approximately four. The company is targeting a medium-term annual production capacity of 1,000 units from its existing site without major additional infrastructure investment. In the first quarter, the line was producing 16 kitchen robots per month, a rate Circus plans to quadruple by year-end.
The technological engine driving this expansion is the company’s in-house AI. Circus has trained its visual-intelligence models on over 45,000 hours of operational data, a foundation that is yielding tangible reliability gains. In April, the CA-1 robots achieved a system availability rate of 92%, comfortably exceeding the industrial minimum requirement of 85%. This performance has helped reduce the required manual handling time per system to an average of just 90 minutes per day, a key selling point for commercial clients aiming to cut labor costs.
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To finance its ambitious growth, Circus has secured fresh capital. The company placed a bond via Finexity AG and signed an agreement for further financing with a total volume of up to €50 million. These funds are earmarked for scaling series production. Additionally, Circus has entered a binding agreement to acquire Belgian food robotics specialist Alberts, which operates autonomous systems in six European countries. The acquisition is slated for completion by the end of the second quarter of 2026 and is expected to contribute to group revenue within the current fiscal year.
Despite this operational momentum, the company’s share price tells a different story. The stock currently trades at €8.36, approximately 63% below its 52-week high of €22.80. However, it has recovered more than 50% from its low in March, with the 50-day moving average now positioned below the current price.
The commercial pipeline appears robust, with a reported 500 firm orders from about 40 customers currently on the books. A further 8,000 non-binding pre-orders represent a theoretical revenue potential in the billions. The critical test, which will be a focus of the next operational update on July 16, will be the conversion rate of these pre-orders into binding contracts, a process the company hopes to accelerate by demonstrating proven system stability and performance.
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