Rethinking Flexibility in Manufacturing

Manufacturing is becoming more dynamic, with increasing product variation, shorter lifecycles, and growing pressure to adapt. As a result, automation is shifting from fixed, single-purpose systems toward flexible solutions built around capability, scalability, and integration. This whitepaper explores how advances in collaborative robotics — including greater reach, higher payloads, and additional degrees of freedom — are expanding what manufacturers can automate. It also looks beyond the robot itself, examining how robotics, material flow, motion, and control can work together as an integrated system to improve flexibility, utilization, and productivity.