Questions to ask before approving any cobot solution
Use this checklist for machine tending, pick & place, packaging, and palletizing. If a solution cannot answer these questions clearly, the risk is not technical — it’s operational.
Pick & Place (especially high-mix environments)
Purpose of the solution: Reduce errors and stabilize output in repetitive or variant-heavy operations.
Ask these questions before approving any pick & place cobot:
- Product mix & changeovers
- How many variants are handled per shift?
- How often do changeovers occur?
- Do operators slow down as mix increases?
- Accuracy vs speed
- Where do errors occur today (wrong part, wrong orientation, missed pick)?
- Do errors increase at higher speeds?
- What is the cost of a single wrong pick downstream?
- Part presentation
- Are parts always presented in a consistent position?
- Are trays or feeders stable?
- Do operators manually correct presentation today?
- Detection & feedback
- How is a failed pick detected?
- How is a wrong part detected?
- Does the system stop early or allow errors to propagate?
- Scalability
- Can new variants be added without engineering support?
- Does performance stay stable as mix increases?
- Is output predictable across shifts?
Red flag: If the system prioritizes speed over detection, errors will increase silently.
Packaging (primary & secondary)
Purpose of the solution:
Stabilize packaging quality and prevent packaging from becoming a hidden bottleneck.
Ask these questions before approving any packaging cobot:
- Packaging quality & consistency
- Where does inconsistency appear today (placement, sealing, appearance)?
- Does quality degrade later in the shift?
- How much rework or internal rejection comes from packaging?
- Throughput vs demand
- Does packaging ever limit upstream production?
- What happens during demand peaks?
- How often does packaging force upstream machines to stop?
- Human factors
- How repetitive and physically demanding is the task?
- How fast does fatigue affect output?
- How long does it take to train new or seasonal operators?
- Materials & variability
- How stable are packaging materials (film, cartons, trays)?
- What happens when materials are slightly out of spec?
- Do operators currently compensate manually?
- Exceptions & integration
- What happens with damaged packaging material?
- How are rejects handled?
- Can packaging stop without stopping the entire line?
Red flag: If packaging still requires frequent manual correction, stability gains will be limited.
Palletization (end-of-line)
Purpose of the solution: Stabilize end-of-line flow, remove fatigue-driven losses, and protect upstream production. Ask these questions before approving any palletizing cobot:
- Throughput reality
- What is the required average throughput, not peak?
- How does manual palletizing perform late in the shift?
- When palletizing slows down, which upstream machines stop?
- Product & pallet variability
- How many SKUs and box sizes are handled?
- How often do pallet patterns change?
- Are mixed pallets required?
- What stability requirements exist for transport and storage?
- Logistics & flow
- How are empty pallets supplied?
- How are full pallets removed?
- What happens if a pallet is not removed on time?
- Exceptions & interruptions
- What happens with partial pallets?
- What happens with damaged cartons?
- Can operators intervene without stopping the entire line?
- Safety & traffic
- Do forklifts or pallet jacks pass nearby?
- How often do people enter the palletizing area?
- How disruptive are safety stops to upstream flow?
Red flag: If palletizing cannot handle partial pallets and late shifts reliably, upstream downtime will continue.
Machine Tending (CNC, presses, injection molding)
Purpose of the solution:
Increase effective machine utilization and remove operator-dependent waiting between cycles.
Ask these questions before approving any machine-tending cobot:
- Machine behavior & synchronization
- Where does the machine actually wait today: before unload, before load, or both?
- How stable is the cycle time over a full shift?
- What happens if the robot arrives early or late relative to the cycle?
- Does tool wear or temperature change affect cycle time?
- Part variability
- How much does part weight, temperature, or geometry vary in reality?
- Are parts ever stuck, doubled, or hard to release?
- Do operators currently “help” parts out manually?
- Human dependency
- How many machines does one operator currently serve?
- What happens when that operator is absent or reassigned?
- Is output dependent on one or two “good operators”?
- Exceptions & recovery
- What happens when a part does not release correctly?
- How is a failed pick detected?
- Can the operator recover safely without maintenance or engineering?
- Sustainability after go-live
- Can this cell run unattended for extended periods?
- Does machine utilization increase consistently across all shifts?
- What happens when a new part variant is introduced?
Red flag: If the solution works only when a skilled operator stays nearby, utilization gains will not hold.
