Strategic robotics partnerships are helping manufacturers move beyond automation pilots and scale more flexible, resilient operations.
By Dennis Kirkpatrick, President, Integrated Technology Solutions, Flex, and Rodrigo DallOglio, President, Operational Excellence and Transformation, Flex
Strategic robotics partnerships help manufacturers deploy automation more effectively by combining operational expertise with technology innovation. These collaborations can accelerate the adoption of AI-enabled robotics, increase production flexibility, and help manufacturers respond more effectively to changing business needs.
As manufacturers face increasing pressure to improve efficiency while adapting to changing market demands, automation has become a strategic investment rather than simply an operational tool. Success depends not only on deploying new technologies, but also on building the right partnerships to implement, refine, and scale them over time.
Intelligent automation combines robotics, AI, and operational data to create more resilient and scalable manufacturing environments. Rather than operating independently, these technologies are increasingly integrated across production, material handling, and operational workflows, giving manufacturers greater visibility into their operations and helping them respond more effectively to change.
This evolution reflects growing pressure to improve efficiency and adaptability simultaneously. As product lifecycles shorten and customer expectations continue to rise, manufacturers need automation solutions that can adjust to changing production requirements without sacrificing quality or productivity.
The growth of robotics within manufacturing illustrates the scale of this transformation. In 2024, 542,000 industrial robots were installed globally – more than double the number installed a decade earlier, according to the International Federation of Robots. This expansion underscores the growing role robotics can play within broader intelligent automation strategies.
Cobots and AMRs are expanding how manufacturers can automate work across their operations. Cobots support human-machine collaboration on repetitive and precision-oriented tasks, while AMRs dynamically transport materials throughout production environments, helping improve material flow and logistics. Together, these technologies give manufacturers additional flexibility as operations evolve.
Operational flexibility is especially valuable in today’s high-mix, high-complexity production environments, where manufacturers must balance customization, speed, and efficiency. Deloitte’s 2025 manufacturing outlook identifies AI-enabled and collaborative robotics as key enablers of smart factory transformation, particularly in industries that require both precision and agility.
Technology alone does not determine the success of intelligent automation. Manufacturers that both deploy automation technologies internally and help produce them for broader industry adoption can bring a valuable operational perspective to technology development.
This dual role creates feedback loops between real-world manufacturing challenges and technology development. Organizations with firsthand experience deploying and producing automation can better understand performance, integration, and scalability requirements. That experience can help validate technologies in manufacturing environments and inform improvements before broader deployment.
As automation becomes more sophisticated, this operational experience becomes increasingly valuable. Manufacturers that understand how automation performs in practice are better positioned to identify opportunities for improvement, strengthen implementation, and scale solutions across global operations.
“Manufacturers that both build and deploy automation are uniquely positioned to scale innovation because they understand firsthand what successful automation looks like in practice.”
—Rodrigo DallOglio, President of Operational Excellence & Transformation, Flex
As intelligent automation continues to evolve, physical AI is becoming a defining capability in next-generation manufacturing operations. It enables robots and automation systems to perceive, learn, and adapt within dynamic production environments, allowing automation to move beyond executing predefined tasks.
By making real-time, context-aware decisions, physical AI helps manufacturers improve efficiency while increasing operational resilience and adaptability. Automation systems can respond more effectively to changing production conditions, optimize workflows, and support greater flexibility as manufacturing complexity continues to grow.
Rather than replacing human expertise, physical AI can enhance it. By enabling automation systems to handle more dynamic operational decisions, manufacturers can give employees greater opportunity to focus on higher-value activities such as process improvement, quality management, and innovation. As adoption expands, physical AI will play an increasingly important role in helping manufacturers improve productivity while building more agile operations.
The most impactful advancements in manufacturing automation will increasingly be driven by long-term strategic partnerships. As automation technologies become more sophisticated, manufacturers need relationships that extend beyond traditional supplier models and evolve into true co-innovation partnerships.
Long-term collaboration creates stronger alignment between manufacturers and technology providers, allowing both organizations to continuously improve solutions based on real-world operational experience. These partnerships can accelerate technology adoption, improve implementation outcomes, and create opportunities to address increasingly complex manufacturing challenges together.
As manufacturers continue investing in intelligent automation, sustained collaboration will become an important competitive advantage. Organizations that build long-term relationships around shared innovation goals will be better positioned to scale automation, increase operational flexibility, and unlock new growth opportunities.
Growing operational complexity and market volatility require systems that can adapt quickly while maintaining efficiency and quality. Intelligent automation combines robotics, AI, and operational data to create manufacturing environments that are more resilient, scalable, and responsive to changing business needs.
obots enable safe human-machine collaboration on repetitive, precision-oriented tasks, while AMRs improve material movement and logistics throughout manufacturing facilities. Together, they increase productivity and operational flexibility without requiring extensive infrastructure changes.
Physical AI enables automation systems to learn, adapt, and optimize performance in real time as production conditions change. This improves efficiency, increases operational resilience, and enables manufacturers to respond more effectively to evolving business demands.
Manufacturers should prioritize long-term collaboration, shared innovation goals, proven deployment experience, and the ability to scale solutions globally. Partners with practical operational expertise can help accelerate technology adoption while improving implementation outcomes and long-term performance.
Manufacturing is entering a new era of intelligent automation driven by robotics, AI, and strategic collaboration. As physical AI matures and automation deployments continue to scale across global operations, manufacturers have an opportunity to build production environments that are more flexible, resilient and responsive to changing demands.
Realizing that opportunity will require more than investing in new technologies. It will depend on long-term partnerships that combine operational expertise with continuous innovation. Organizations that embrace this collaborative approach will be best positioned to improve efficiency, accelerate transformation, and remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic manufacturing landscape.
About the Authors:
Rodrigo DallOglio joined Flex in 2003 and currently serves as President of Operational Excellence and Transformation. He leads global initiatives across automation, AI, advanced manufacturing, digital transformation and operational excellence, including efforts to advance the Flex factory of the future across approximately 100 factories in 30 countries.
Dennis Kirkpatrick joined Flex in 2006 and currently serves as President of Lifestyle, Consumer Devices and Core Industrial, with responsibility for three operating business units and oversight of their commercial, operations and supply chain functions. His expertise spans growing teams and businesses, leveraging competitive strengths and adapting to changing market conditions with agility and speed of execution.
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