When automation pays for itself

Start at the bottleneck

Automating a station that is not the bottleneck raises inventory between stations and raises nothing else. Measuring before buying saves more than any negotiation on price.

Count changeover, not just cycle time

Many plants lose more between product changes than they lose in running, and that loss is fixed by organisation before it is fixed by equipment.

When the answer is no

• When demand is variable enough to leave the line idle half the time
• When quality is a materials problem rather than a labour one
• When there is no maintenance capability to keep the system running