Automakers choose robots by matching the task to the production line, then weighing how the full automation cell will fit the plant, integrate with existing machinery, operate safely, and be supported over time. A robot’s brand or “collaborative” label alone cannot answer those questions: the gripper, programming, process design, integration, and maintenance plan matter too.
Start with the operation, not the robot
The first question is what the robot must do: handle a part, tend a machine, weld, assemble, or perform a finishing task. The part, process, production pattern, and employee access needs shape the requirements for the entire cell. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) describes traditional caged industrial robots as common in basic assembly, while collaborative applications can be used for some final-assembly and finishing work.
One documented example shows how specific that match can be. At Yokoyama Kogyo, a Japanese automotive-parts maker, an AUBO collaborative robot fitted with an OnRobot RG2 gripper loads and unloads a metal-stamping machine. IFR’s January 2024 case report says the setup was selected to preserve employee access to the press while using a small footprint. Yokoyama reported a 35% cost reduction for this application; that is the company’s case-specific result, not a general savings forecast for other plants. Read the IFR case study.
Fit the cell to the plant and its safety needs
A robot has to work within the plant’s layout and operating constraints. Buyers and engineers need to consider available floor space, access to the machine, connections to existing equipment, installation downtime, and how production changes will be made. Where a press or production line must remain in service, the design and installation plan have to account for continuity as well as the robot’s reach and motion.
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Employee access is a design requirement, not proof that a cell is safe by default. A collaborative robot may be appropriate for a particular task, but the complete application still needs a task-specific safety assessment. The Yokoyama case says its setup did not require a safety fence; that finding applies to the reported cell and should not be treated as a rule for other robots or plants.
Evaluate the whole automation system
The robot is only one part of an industrial cell. The work may also require suitable tooling or grippers, process engineering, controls compatibility, programming, commissioning, and integration with existing machinery. For example, the Yokoyama stamping application paired a robot with a gripper; a robot alone would not perform the documented loading-and-unloading task.
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IFR’s World Robotics 2025 executive summary notes that the engineering needed for peripherals and process design can be a barrier to adoption, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises, and identifies a developed system-integrator ecosystem as important. A plant should therefore evaluate who will design and commission the working cell—not only which robot will sit at its center. See IFR’s World Robotics 2025 executive summary.
Check programming, changeovers, and production continuity
Programming arrangements can affect how a plant installs a cell and adapts it to later production changes. A useful comparison is whether changes can be prepared and tested offline, how much production time is needed for commissioning or changeovers, and whether the plant or its integrator has the skills to maintain the program.
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In an IFR case dated April 22, 2026, thyssenkrupp Bilstein’s Sibiu plant upgraded a Panasonic welding-robot cell that had operated for more than a decade. The report describes using DTPS for offline programming and a digital cell model to simulate changes before applying them to production. It also says removed components were retained as spare parts for another older cell. These details illustrate one retrofit strategy; the case is not an independent comparison of robot brands or a guarantee that the same approach suits every line. Read the IFR Bilstein case study.
Plan for service, spares, and useful life
Support matters throughout a robot cell’s working life, especially when a failure can interrupt production. Plants can compare the availability of local commissioning and programming help, spare parts, repair capability, maintenance response, and on-site service. For retrofits, they can also consider whether existing equipment or components can be reused and whether changes can be prepared without stopping active production.
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In the Bilstein report, the plant emphasized rapid access to technical advice, parts, and on-site maintenance. That emphasis is a useful reminder that a service plan belongs in the selection decision alongside the initial cell design. The report describes one customer’s experience rather than establishing a universal service ranking.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use case studies and market statistics in context
Published installations can show how a particular plant approached a problem, but case reports are not controlled, head-to-head tests. When a case gives a result, check who reported it and whether the conditions match the intended application. The reported 35% cost reduction at Yokoyama, for example, is attributed to that company’s specific installation; it does not establish what another automaker would save.
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Industry figures provide context for demand, not a prediction of an individual plant’s procurement. IFR’s World Robotics 2025 executive summary reports that 126,088 industrial robots were installed in the automotive industry worldwide in 2024, a 7% year-over-year decline. The same report records 128,899 installations in electrical and electronics, up 2%, making it the largest customer industry that year. IFR attributes the constraint on automotive capacity expansion in part to reduced battery-electric-vehicle demand during the transition to alternative drives.
For the United States, IFR reported preliminary results of 13,700 automotive robot installations in 2024, up 10.7%, in a report published May 8, 2025. This is a U.S. figure and was explicitly preliminary. IFR also reported an average density of 177 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2024; that figure covers manufacturing overall, not automotive specifically. See IFR’s U.S. installation report.
Earlier, IFR estimated that about one million robots were operating in automotive factories worldwide, roughly one-third of the total installed across all industries at that time. That estimate, published in 2023, describes the then-current installed stock—not the number installed in 2024 or a current count. See IFR’s 2023 automotive overview.
A practical comparison sequence
- Specify the task: identify the part, process, handling or joining operation, production pattern, and where employees need access.
- Map the plant constraints: check footprint, machine access, existing-equipment interfaces, installation downtime, and safety requirements for the complete application.
- Design the full cell: account for tooling, peripherals, process engineering, programming, controls compatibility, and system integration.
- Test the operating plan: compare commissioning needs, offline programming or simulation options, changeover demands, and who will maintain the programs.
- Evaluate lifecycle support: establish how parts, repairs, technical help, and on-site maintenance will be handled, and consider whether components can be reused.
- Scrutinize evidence: distinguish measured or independently evaluated results from a supplier or customer case report, and judge whether its conditions resemble the target plant.
These are practical comparison factors drawn from documented applications and industry commentary, not a universal automaker procurement standard. A specific selection still depends on task data, payload and reach requirements, cycle targets, plant layout, safety engineering, controls compatibility, and local service capability—details not established for any particular automaker here.
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