---
title: Five needs we hear from around 100 manufacturers
description: Around 100 OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers describe the same five needs, from installation in days to standardised cells. What we have learned about each one.
image: https://blog.opiflex.se/hubfs/Images/Blog%20Images/p14-five-needs.png
---

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# Five needs we hear from around 100 manufacturers

[flexible robotics](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/tag/flexible-robotics) [OEM & Tier 1](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/tag/oem-tier-1) [Production Economics](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/tag/production-economics)

Updated at: 14 October 2026

Around 100 OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers have contacted us about how they will build their production in the coming years. The details differ, but the direction they describe is the same: from high volume towards high mix and low volume. More variants and shorter series give uneven utilisation of machines and robots, and that is what eats into profitability.

The OECD describes the same picture in its 2021 report on the future of robotics, where OpiFlex is featured on pages 25–27. It lists five needs that firms in many industries share. Below is each need, and what we have learned about it.

![How to build the ultra-flexible factory of the future: needs from around 100 OEM and Tier 1](https://blog.opiflex.se/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/Blog%20Images/p14-five-needs.png?width=1920&height=1080&name=p14-five-needs.png)

## 1. Rapid robot integration and installation

Every week of installation is a week of lost or disturbed production. A traditional robot installation normally takes 4–6 weeks. When the cell is factory-built and fenceless, most of the work is done before delivery, and installation on site normally takes 2–4 days. Read more: [The hidden costs in a robot investment](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/the-hidden-costs-in-a-robot-investment).

## 2. Rapid scale-up and scale-down

A robot that stays at one machine is only busy while that machine has work. When the same robot can move between products, lines and machines, it follows the volume instead. In our comparison over 48 months with ten products, utilisation averaged 81 % for flexible robots, against 59 % for traditional solutions. Read more: [Flexibility without complexity: standardised robot cells](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/flexibility-without-complexity-standardised-robot-cells).

## 3. Flexible configurations and fast programming

With high mix, programming time decides which series are worth automating. Traditional robot programming of a new part takes 10–60 hours. With our Dynamic Program Generator, an operator without robot experience creates a new program in 1–3 minutes, offline, while the machine keeps producing. Read more: [How an operator creates a new robot program in 1–3 minutes](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/how-an-operator-creates-a-new-robot-program-in-1-3-minutes).

## 4. A layout that can change without fences

A fence is built around one place in the factory. With mobile, fenceless cells, moving a cell to a new place in the layout takes 2–4 hours in our comparison, against 1.5–2 weeks for a cell with a fence. Read more: [Fenceless safety for large robots at full speed](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/fenceless-safety-for-large-robots-at-full-speed) and [Change the layout in hours, not weeks](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/change-the-layout-in-hours-not-weeks).

## 5. Future-proofed, standardised solutions

A custom cell is built to do one job well. Over the years it also becomes unique, and maintenance has to know each one. Our answer is standardised hardware with the flexibility in the software. With Quick Swap, a robot can be replaced in about 15 minutes, compared with 2–3 hours for changing a calibrated spare robot. Read more: [Maintaining robots in five shifts](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/maintaining-robots-in-five-shifts).

The full OECD report is available [here](https://www.oecd.org/industry/making-life-richer-easier-and-healthier-5ea15d01-en.htm).

## Which one is yours?

In most plants, one or two of these needs weigh more than the others. We would like to hear which ones matter in yours, and how you handle them today. [Contact us](https://www.opiflex.se/en/contact/).

Johan Frisk

[Read more from Johan Frisk](https://blog.opiflex.se/opiflex-blog/author/johan-frisk)

## Related articles

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