What robots are doing on factory floors right now
Cobot machine tending, palletising and welding cells are proven for mid-sized plants. Full-line automation has been walked back by the biggest names — automate cells, not lines.
14Jobs robots do for a plant today
20Independent deployment records behind this page
11 of 20Records that document a pause, removal or failure
1Jobs we advise against
Tick the jobs you want a robot to take
Each card shows how mature the job isAutomate the whole production line end to end
The largest manufacturers have walked back full-line automation and reintroduced people. Automate cells, not lines.
We won't rank robots for this job
Where this does not work — read before you enquire
- Full-line automation has been walked back by the biggest names. Each reintroduced people. Automate cells, not lines.
- Output can fall when headcount falls. Model throughput, not just labour.
- High-mix work defeats fixed automation. People reconfigure over a weekend; fixed cells take weeks.
- After-sales support decides uptime. Ask about spares lead time before price.
- Humanoids have no measured production result yet. Watch, don’t buy.
- Single-shift plants pay back slowly. The fast paybacks on record all ran two or three shifts; on one shift a robot idles most of the day. Limited evidence
Unlabelled points come from operator-reported or independently observed deployments.
Built on 20 independent deployment records. Robot prices are vendor or reseller list figures and vary by market — confirm with the vendor.