Automation & cobot ROI calculator

{"Title":"Automation & cobot ROI calculator","IntroductionHtml":"

Quick plant-ready ROI tool for cobots and automation pilots

Enter task-level numbers below to capture a consistent dataset for evaluating automation pilots. This tool helps you estimate annual labor savings, quality-related savings, total annual benefit, simple payback period, and prepares inputs for NPV. These estimates are quick, local decision-support numbers — validate with engineering, safety, and procurement before committing capital.

What this form saves for you

• Stable, repeatable inputs for comparing candidate tasks
• Clear assumptions (labor burden, operating days, defect cost)
• Exportable data you can paste into a spreadsheet or feed into a calculation engine

Notes on interpretation

Outputs depend heavily on local assumptions: fully-burdened labor cost, whether automation replaces headcount or reallocates work, the true cost of defects, and integration effort. Use conservative assumptions for initial prioritization and then run a detailed engineering cost model for finalists.

","SubmitLabel":"Save inputs","SuccessMessage":"Inputs saved. Export or re-open to adjust values. To receive calculated results inside the platform, enable the calculation engine or export these inputs to your spreadsheet.","DataType":"automation-cobot-roi-inputs","SchemaVersion":"1.0","Fields":[{"Key":"labor_cost_per_hour","Type":"number","Label":"Operator fully-burdened labor cost ($/hour)","HelpText":"Include wages, benefits, payroll taxes, overtime, and overhead. If unknown, multiply base wage by 1.3–1.5.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"50"},{"Key":"time_per_task_seconds","Type":"number","Label":"Current cycle time per part or task (seconds)","HelpText":"Time to complete one cycle including handling, inspection, and movement.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"30"},{"Key":"tasks_per_shift","Type":"number","Label":"Average tasks completed per shift","HelpText":"Average number of task cycles completed in a single shift.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"200"},{"Key":"shifts_per_day","Type":"number","Label":"Shifts per day","HelpText":"Number of production shifts per day operating this task.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"1"},{"Key":"days_per_year","Type":"number","Label":"Operating days per year","HelpText":"Typically 250–365 depending on holidays and planned downtime.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"250"},{"Key":"current_defect_rate_pct","Type":"number","Label":"Current defect rate (%)","HelpText":"Percent of parts requiring rework or scrap currently.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"2"},{"Key":"cost_per_defect","Type":"number","Label":"Average cost per defect ($)","HelpText":"Include scrap cost, rework labor, materials, inspection time, and customer quality costs if relevant.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"30"},{"Key":"automation_capex","Type":"number","Label":"Automation CAPEX ($)","HelpText":"Purchase price of robot/cobot, end-of-arm tooling, fixtures, safety guarding, and primary hardware costs.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"50000"},{"Key":"automation_opex_annual","Type":"number","Label":"Automation annual OPEX ($)","HelpText":"Maintenance, consumables, license fees, and recurring costs per year.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"5000"},{"Key":"integration_costs","Type":"number","Label":"One-time integration & commissioning costs ($)","HelpText":"Systems integration, PLC changes, engineering hours, testing, and training required to bring the cell online.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"15000"},{"Key":"expected_throughput_gain_pct","Type":"number","Label":"Expected throughput change (%)","HelpText":"Percent change in throughput after automation. Use negative values if throughput will decrease.","Required":true,"Placeholder":"20"},{"Key":"expected_quality_gain_pct","Type":"number","Label":"Expected absolute reduction in defect rate (percentage points)","HelpText":"Enter the expected reduction in defect rate as absolute percentage points (e.g., enter 1 to represent a reduction from 3% to 2%).","Required":true,"Placeholder":"1"},{"Key":"labor_burden_multiplier","Type":"number","Label":"Labor burden multiplier","HelpText":"Factor to convert base wage into fully burdened cost (benefits, taxes, overhead). If unknown, use 1.35.","Required":false,"Placeholder":"1.35","Default":1.35},{"Key":"discount_rate_pct","Type":"number","Label":"Discount rate for NPV (%)","HelpText":"Use your cost of capital or corporate discount rate. Default 8% suggested.","Required":false,"Placeholder":"8","Default":8},{"Key":"analysis_years","Type":"number","Label":"Analysis period (years)","HelpText":"Typical useful-life ranges for cobot cells are 3–7 years. Use expected useful life for NPV.","Required":false,"Placeholder":"5","Default":5},{"Key":"notes","Type":"textarea","Label":"Notes or local adjustments","HelpText":"Document assumptions, local labor rules, overtime patterns, commissioning downtime, or risks that affect outcomes.","Required":false,"Placeholder":"e.g., 20% overtime, 4-week commissioning"}],"ExampleCalculationsHtml":"

Example (illustrative)

Assumptions: labor cost $40/hr, cycle 30s, tasks per shift 200, shifts 1, days 250, defect rate 2%, defect cost $30, capex $50k, integration $15k, opex $5k, throughput gain 20%, quality improvement 1 percentage point, analysis 5 years, discount 8%.

Key formulas (manual):
- Tasks per year = tasks_per_shift * shifts_per_day * days_per_year
- Time saved per task (hours) = current_cycle_time - (current_cycle_time / (1 + throughput_gain_pct/100)) all / 3600
- Annual labor hours saved = tasks_per_year * time_saved_per_task_hours
- Annual labor $ saved = annual_labor_hours_saved * labor_cost_per_hour
- Annual quality $ saved = tasks_per_year * (current_defect_rate_pct/100 - (current_defect_rate_pct/100 - expected_quality_gain_pct/100)) * cost_per_defect (approximate)
- Total annual benefit = labor_saved + quality_saved
- Total first-year cost = automation_capex + integration_costs + automation_opex_annual (or treat opex as recurring).
- Simple payback (years) = total_first_year_cost / total_annual_benefit (if annual benefit > 0).
- NPV requires discounting the stream of annual net benefits less recurring OPEX; use a spreadsheet or the platform calculation engine if available.

Illustrative result (from these assumptions): tasks/year = 200*1*250 = 50,000; approximate annual labor saving (with 20% faster cycle) ≈ $13,333; annual quality saving (1% of 50,000 * $30) = $15,000; total annual benefit ≈ $28,333; total first-year cost = $50,000 + $15,000 + $5,000 = $70,000; simple payback ≈ 2.5 years. (This example is illustrative only.)

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How to use

1. Complete this form for each candidate task so comparisons use the same assumptions.
2. Export these inputs to your spreadsheet model or enable the platform calculation engine to compute payback and NPV automatically.
3. For finalists, run a site engineering study including safety, cycle-time validation, takt analysis, and detailed integration quotes.
4. Document who owns the data and who will maintain assumptions (owner, date).

Common pitfalls

• Underestimating integration and engineering costs — obtain quotes early.
• Confusing percent change vs percentage points for defect-rate improvements.
• Assuming automation eliminates headcount without accounting for redeployment costs or capacity needs.

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