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PlantBench / Robotics and automation ROI calculator

Robotics and automation ROI calculator

A worksheet for a cell, a pick-and-place, or a wider automation project. Labor is usually the largest term. The defaults are not a vendor quote.

Labor is the case

A cell earns its keep when people come off the step: packing, tray loading, case forming, palletizing, or a repetitive transfer. The default is a 45% cut on a modest crew. That is only honest if those hours actually leave the schedule. If the robot adds an attendant and removes nobody, set the labor reduction to zero and read the sheet again.

Person-hours are the whole crew on the step, not the robot’s nameplate. Four people for eight hours is 32. Two people is 16.

Yield and quality depend on the job

Some cells drop fewer pieces, bruise less, or hold a spec that hand work misses. Some do none of that. The default is one yield point, and it is a placeholder. If you cannot name the pounds you would stop losing, set the points to zero. A better grade on the same pounds belongs in product value, not in both places.

Quality that you cannot price is still a reason to buy. It is not a reason to type a yield number you do not believe. Say it in the meeting.

Energy is usually the small term

Servos, vision, and compressed air show up as kilowatt-hours, and they are often modest next to the labor dollars. The default steps electricity up a little and leaves gas at zero. If the project is a new compressor or a cold-room door that will cycle all night, put that load in the kWh fields or in capital. Do not assume energy is free, and do not let a small electric line hide a weak labor story.

Capital and the calendar

The default capital is a placeholder for one cell, not a fleet and not the conveyors, guarding, and integration around it. If integration is part of this decision, it belongs in the capital field. A seasonal line that runs 30 to 40 weeks should not sit on a year-round calendar. Use the weeks toggle, then edit it to the weeks the cell is staffed.

This page is the same math as the washer, the sorter, and the full line. It is an estimate for a capex conversation. It is not a design, a quote, or a guarantee, and it is independent of any single OEM.

Run the numbers

Your plant

These stay put when you switch equipment. Seasonal lines often run 30–40 weeks; year-round plants run closer to 50. Edit to match your calendar.

Choose a state to fill industrial averages for power, gas, and a production wage. Every figure stays editable.

lb

Annual throughput 4,800,000 lb. Operating days 240.

$/hr
%

Loaded wage $25.74 per hour.

$/lb

Price of the recovered pounds, not a premium and a yield gain for the same upgrade.

$/kWh

Typical industrial rate. Replace it with your local rate.

$/therm

Rough assumptions

Robotics / Automation

Labor is usually the largest term. Yield and quality gains depend on the application. Energy is often modest compared with labor savings.

Whole crew on this step. Four people for 8 hours is 32.

%
%

Percent of input weight lost at this step today.

pts

Points of input weight you expect to sell instead of lose.

kWh

kWh per 1,000 lb of throughput.

kWh

48,000 kWh/year, about $4,080 .

therms

Therms per 1,000 lb. Use 0 if this step has no gas.

therms

0 therms/year, about $0 .

$

Optional. Leave blank to hide payback. Fold installation into this number if you want it counted.

Annual result

$179,628

Total annual savings, before capital.

Payback
2.5 years
Simple ROI
40%
5-year net
$448,138
Largest term
Labor
Annual savings breakdown
Labor saved6,048 hours$155,676
Yield gain48,000 lb$26,400
Energy deltaExtra operating cost-$2,448
  • Energy is a net new cost on these assumptions, so it reduces annual savings.

Sensitivity

Payback and five-year net at half, full, and one-and-a-half times the labor reduction and yield improvement
MeasureConservativeBaseAggressive
Payback5.1 years2.5 years1.7 years
5-year net-$7,051$448,138$903,326

Sensitivity only — edit the main inputs for a full recalculation.

These figures are rough estimates for discussion, not a quote, bid, or engineering study. Defaults are industry-style assumptions and will not match your plant until you edit them. The model ignores maintenance, installation, freight, water, wastewater, depreciation, taxes, incentives, and the time value of money. Yield math treats improvement as extra saleable pounds of input weight, which is the wrong model for some drying and grading decisions. Confirm every assumption before a capex meeting.

Annual savings

$179,628

Details

Questions

Is the labor cut realistic?

Only if those people come off the step. A cell that still needs the same crew is a quality or capacity project, and the labor line should say so.

Where do integration and guarding go?

In the capital field, if they are part of this purchase. The default is equipment-only and it is a placeholder.

Does this include maintenance?

No. Grippers, belts, and a service contract are outside the model. A fast payback is unfinished until someone prices them.

Are the defaults from a specific OEM?

No. They are a plausible starting case so the sheet is not blank. Overwrite every cell you can defend with plant data.

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