Helping customers automate the right way
Determining which form factor is fit for purpose requires an up-periscope view of “purpose.” While a customer’s quest for automation often begins with a specific task or pain point — safety concern, labor shortage, repetitive motion, quality issue, etc. — focusing too narrowly on a discrete portion of the manufacturing process invites unintended consequences. For instance, a robotic arm able to weld panels at lightning speed is of little use if the steps that come before and after can’t keep up. An end-to-end assessment ensures that automating a bottleneck does not create new problems upstream or downstream.
For robotics OEMs, understanding where their technology adds the most value within the production process is essential. Customers are looking beyond individual robots to solutions that improve throughput, flexibility, quality, resilience, and the safety of their work environments across the entire operation. Helping them identify the right applications leads to better automation outcomes and positions the OEM as a strategic partner rather than an equipment supplier.
We see this in our own work with customers that consult us on designing, manufacturing, and scaling complex products. One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned as a manufacturer deploying robotics solutions in Flex facilities is that leading with technology (the robotics platform) rather than business or operational outcomes rarely produces the best results. That’s why we start with the end in mind when making recommendations for automation. Whether customers are bringing new products to market or updating an existing portfolio, taking a bird’s eye view of the entire production process is essential.
Wheels, arms, or propellers: What’s the right choice?
Let’s assume that a full production line assessment has been done and there is an excellent opportunity to automate part of the manufacturing process. The next question is: “How, and with what?” Each type of robot solves a different problem. Mobility, dexterity, reach, payload, precision, speed, and environmental constraints all influence which technology is right for the task.
Here is a quick overview of common form factors:
Wheeled robots enable material flow across the production system
The movement of materials is one of the largest sources of non-value-added time in manufacturing. As production becomes more automated, ensuring that the right parts arrive at the right workstation at the right time is critical. Wheeled robots, including automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), turn independent operations into a coordinated production flow. Common applications include cross-facility logistics, warehouse-to-production integration, and the movement of tools, fixtures, and finished goods.
Humanoids and quadrupeds bring mobility to human-designed environments
Designed to navigate environments built for people, they can traverse stairs, uneven terrain, narrow passageways, and other spaces where wheeled mobile platforms have limitations. Emerging applications include industrial inspection, facility maintenance, equipment monitoring, material handling, and manufacturing operations where modifying existing facilities would be impractical or prohibitively expensive. Flex is exploring humanoid use cases in our own factories in anticipation of initial deployment in select facilities as the technology warrants.
Robotic arms bring precision and repeatability to value-added production
Many manufacturing operations require controlled product manipulation. Once materials arrive at a workstation, wheeled robots typically hand off to robotic arms. They are the primary platform for executing repeatable production tasks within a defined envelope, making precision and uptime essential to product quality and throughput. Typical use cases include assembly, welding and fastening, machine tending, dispensing, packaging, quality inspection, and functional testing.
Drones extend automation beyond the production line
Not every manufacturing activity happens on the factory floor. Facilities, distribution yards, construction sites, and industrial assets require regular inspection, monitoring, and data collection. Unconstrained by floor space, drones allow manufacturers to automate these activities while improving speed, consistency, and worker safety in expansive, tight, rugged, and high-risk environments.
Cobots enable safe collaboration between people and robots
Collaborative robots (cobots) are not a distinct form factor, but rather robots designed to work alongside human operators. They can take the form of robotic arms, mobile robots, or other platforms equipped with sensing and safety technologies that allow them to operate in shared workspaces. Cobots are well-suited to applications where human judgement, dexterity, or adaptability complement robotic precision and repeatability. They are particularly valuable when manufacturers need to increase productivity without fully automating a process or redesigning an entire production line.
Hybrid robot systems combine complementary capabilities
Pairing different robot form factors can help manufacturers solve more complex operational challenges and automate workflows rather than individual tasks. For example, Flex uses AMRs to deliver supplies to manufacturing lines, move components between production steps, and transport finished products to shipping areas. Pairing that mobility with manipulation can extend automation further, with AMRs equipped with robotic arms able to transport, pick, and place materials at multiple workstations. Other hybrid systems can combine wheeled robots with drones for infrastructure inspection or mobile charging. By connecting multiple steps in a workflow, these systems can reduce handoffs and idle time while improving operational flexibility.
Implications for robotics OEMs
Helping customers identify the right automation strategy has implications that extend beyond the sale. The environments in which robots operate and the production systems with which they integrate influence how they should be engineered, manufactured, and supported throughout the lifecycle. As customers seek greater flexibility, robotics companies have to balance precision with modularity, interoperability, simplified deployment, intuitive interfaces, and manufacturability at volume.
Manufacturing customers also expect robotics platforms to connect seamlessly with production scheduling software, warehouse management systems, machine controls, fleet management applications, and enterprise applications. They expect robots to be easy to deploy, update, service, and scale across multiple facilities. Meeting those expectations influences everything from mechanical architecture and electronics integration to battery performance, cybersecurity, calibration, and production test strategy.
For robotics OEMs, understanding how their technology fits within a customer’s manufacturing process informs how their own products should be designed, manufactured, and industrialized. The closer those perspectives align, the better positioned OEMs are to deliver robots that perform safely and reliably in the field and can be produced efficiently at scale. As part of our design for automation practice (DfA), we use an array of digital simulation tools to help customers improve product quality, build closer to end markets, and scale as demand increases. Such tools can help robotics OEMs optimize their or their customers’ product designs and manufacturing lines for automation, too.
The sweet spot for robotics OEMs is where purpose meets practicality
Recommending the right robot requires understanding how the technology fits within the larger manufacturing process, how it interacts with upstream and downstream operations, and how it contributes to broader business objectives such as throughput, quality, flexibility, and resilience. That perspective enables more informed conversations with customers, helps identify new opportunities for automation, and influences how robots should be produced and supported. By helping customers match the right technologies to the right manufacturing outcomes, robotics OEMs can build stronger partnerships, deliver greater operational value, and create products designed for both deployment and production at scale.
A manufacturing partner at the forefront of applied automation and robotics
Flex doesn’t just manufacture robots — we rely on them every day across our own production lines and warehouses worldwide. Working alongside thousands of robotics systems has given us firsthand insight into where different form factors create the greatest operational value and what it takes to deploy them successfully at scale.
Combined with more than 55 years of advanced manufacturing experience, that perspective helps us support robotics OEMs throughout the product lifecycle, from design optimization and industrialization to regional manufacturing, testing, and lifecycle services. Whether you are bringing a new robotic platform to market or scaling an established one, Flex can help you build products that suit your customers’ automation needs and design them for reliable deployment and efficient production.
Design and manufacture robots at scale with Flex.
