For smaller factories, whether to install robots is an arithmetic question. Many owners work out the price of the equipment and stop there, without costing changeover.
In practice, payback is fastest on high-volume lines with few changeovers. Once commissioned, the equipment runs long enough to spread its cost.
Frequent changeover reverses the picture
Where the product changes often, the position inverts. Every changeover means reprogramming, new fixtures and recommissioning — work that usually requires outside support, and the invoices accumulate quickly.
The machine cost us six hundred thousand. Commissioning it over two years cost close to two hundred thousand more.— The owner of a metal parts workshop
- Fastest payback: high-volume, low-changeover lines
- Main hidden costs: programming, fixtures, commissioning
- Flexible systems: more expensive, but cheaper to change over
- Advice: count annual changeovers before choosing
The integrators we spoke to advise smaller factories to count their annual changeovers first, then decide between a cost-effective dedicated system and a more expensive flexible one.
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