Photo courtesy FANUC America Corp.


Purchasing Automation


Heavy-duty FANUC M-2000iA-900L robot rated at a 900-kg payload lifts a full car body.


GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR


AUTOMATION PURCHASE


Making good buying decisions means focusing on more than just price


Patrick Waurzyniak Senior Editor


A


sk any buyer of manufacturing automation what’s most important in purchasing new equipment and you’ll get a laundry list of requirements. Foremost in buyers’ minds are the more nonnegotiable items, such as product reliability, training and sup-


port. Another key component today is flexibility—being able to quickly redeploy and retool automation as manufacturing needs change. But for many buyers, the ultimate decision often comes down to the bottom line: how much the system costs up front and how fast they can expect to get a return on that investment.


December 2013 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 57


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