OULU, Finland—JOT Automation Inc. and EID Robotics have introduced a system of standardized, modular, robotic cells that can be combined to create microfactories for localized automated manufacturing of products.

Inside a former auto parts factory in Buffalo, NY, Jon M. Williams is making plans to create a renewable energy trailblazer.

Looking for stuff, whether it be keys, wallet, phone, meeting notes, spices in a kitchen cabinet, or pencils in my woodworking shop, is the bane of my existence. Some days, I feel as if I spend more time looking for stuff than I do actually using the stuff I was looking for.

Designing a medical device or consumer product can take a long time. Designing an automated assembly system for those products shouldn’t add any more. Starting with a standardized assembly platform can reduce engineering time and get the product to market faster.

Designing and building a multistation automated assembly system takes time. A simple project might take 12 to 14 weeks. A complex one could take three or four times that long.

There are two opposite ways to equip factories to respond quickly to downstream customer orders: One way is for sequential production, and the other is for concurrent production. Both draw heavily from best practices in lean manufacturing.