Q: Why is there a lack of formal robotics strategy? What challenges does that create for manufacturers, and how can they address them?

A: Most manufacturers are further along on the robot than they are on the plan for it. I’ve watched the same pattern with every wave of automation before this one. Without a strategy, you get three great pilots and no way to connect them. The fix isn’t complicated. Know what you’re solving for across the whole operation before the PO goes out. Usually what’s missing underneath that plan is the data. You can’t sequence a fleet on top of information nobody trusts.

Q: What kind of robotics strategies are we talking about?

A: I’d map it against four stages. Visibility into what’s actually happening on the…