--- title: Automation Raises the Quality Bar description: Learn why manufacturing automation makes part consistency more important and what buyers should confirm with fabrication suppliers before production begins. image: https://mfefix.com/hubfs/Cycle%20Stopped_%20Misaligned%20Bracket%20blog%20image.png --- [Skip to the main content.](https://mfefix.com/blog/automation-raises-the-quality-bar#main-content) | ***Metal Fab Engineering - Excellence in Solutions*** | **Call Today for a FREE Quote: (574)-278-7150** | | --- | --- | [![Metal Fab Engineering](https://mfefix.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-color-500x160.png?width=313&height=100&name=logo-color-500x160.png "Metal Fab Engineering")](https://mfefix.com) [![Metal Fab Engineering](https://mfefix.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-color-500x160.png?width=313&height=100&name=logo-color-500x160.png "Metal Fab Engineering")](https://mfefix.com) - [Services](https://mfefix.com/services) - [Smart RFQ](https://mfefix.com/smart-rfq) - [Gallery](https://mfefix.com/gallery) - [About Us](https://mfefix.com/about) - [Careers](https://mfefix.com/careers) - [Blog](https://mfefix.com/blog) - [Contact Us](https://mfefix.com/contact) [REQUEST A QUOTE](https://mfefix.com/smart-rfq) Toggle Menu Toggle Menu [REQUEST A QUOTE](https://mfefix.com/smart-rfq) - [Services](https://mfefix.com/services) - [Smart RFQ](https://mfefix.com/smart-rfq) - [Gallery](https://mfefix.com/gallery) - [About Us](https://mfefix.com/about) - [Careers](https://mfefix.com/careers) - [Blog](https://mfefix.com/blog) - [Contact Us](https://mfefix.com/contact) 4 min read # Automation Raises the Quality Bar [Holly Stonebraker](https://mfefix.com/blog/author/holly-stonebraker) : Updated on October 21, 2026 Picture a new automated assembly cell during its first full production run. The equipment has been installed, programmed, tested, and approved. The first several components move through the cell exactly as planned. Then one bracket does not seat properly in the fixture. The robot pauses, an operator clears the fault, and production begins again. A few cycles later, the same problem returns. The bracket may still fall within a broad interpretation of the drawing, and an experienced assembler might have made it work without much thought. The automated system cannot make that judgment. It expects the locating holes, bend angles, weldments, and finished surfaces to arrive in the same position every time. The manufacturer invested in automation to improve output, but inconsistent parts are now limiting the return on that investment. This situation is becoming more important because automation is no longer limited to a small group of very large manufacturers. Companies are adding robots, machine vision, automated inspection, material handling systems, and digitally connected equipment throughout their operations. As those systems become more common, suppliers are being asked to provide more than parts that simply meet a drawing. They need to provide parts that behave consistently inside an automated process.   ## **The Numbers Show Where Manufacturing Is Headed** Lockheed Martin provided a timely example on October 14 when it announced a $300 million expansion of its Grand Prairie, Texas, operation. The company is adding a highly automated 24 machine manufacturing cell that is expected to begin operating in early 2027. The scale of the larger operation is equally notable. The Grand Prairie facility produced 250,000 parts in 2025, and Lockheed Martin expects to add nearly 100 advanced machines to the facility by the end of 2026. [Lockheed Martin](https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2026-10-14-Lockheed-Martin-Expands-Advanced-Munitions-Manufacturing-in-Texas%2C-Driving-Thousands-of-New-American-Jobs?utm_source=chatgpt.com) This is part of a much larger movement. The International Federation of Robotics reported that five million industrial robots were operating in factories worldwide in 2025. Manufacturers installed more than 600,000 new robots during the year, an increase of 11 percent. The United States installed almost 38,500 industrial robots, which represented a 12 percent increase and made the country the second largest robotics market in the world. [International Federation of Robotics](https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/five-million-robots-now-operate-in-factories-globally?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Rockwell Automation also found that 90 percent of manufacturers consider digital transformation essential to remaining competitive. Its 2026 study of 1,560 manufacturers found that 59 percent were actively using smart manufacturing technologies in operations, while only 18 percent remained in the pilot stage. [US](https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/company/news/press-releases/90-of-Manufacturers-Say-Digital-Transformation-Is-Now-Essential-According-to-New-Global-Study.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com) These figures show that automation is moving from an isolated improvement project into the normal operating environment. That shift changes what manufacturers need from component suppliers.   ## **Automation Does Not Improvise** An experienced production employee notices when a component needs to be shifted slightly, turned a different way, or pressed into position. That employee may also recognize a minor weld distortion or coating buildup and compensate without stopping the entire process. ![Halted Production\_ The Final Bracket image](https://mfefix.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Halted%20Production_%20The%20Final%20Bracket%20image.png?width=601&height=338&name=Halted%20Production_%20The%20Final%20Bracket%20image.png) Automated equipment follows programmed movements and defined reference points. A fixture expects a hole to appear in a specific location. A gripper expects a component to present the same surface. A vision system expects a recognizable shape, orientation, and finish. This does not mean every dimension requires an unnecessarily tight tolerance. It means the dimensions and features that affect locating, feeding, clamping, joining, or inspection need to be understood. The correct question is not simply, “Does the part meet the drawing?” The more useful question is, “Will the part perform consistently in the process that uses it?” That distinction can change how a part should be designed, quoted, inspected, packaged, and delivered.   ## **Quality Begins Before Inspection** Final inspection can confirm whether a finished component meets defined requirements, but it cannot correct requirements that were never clearly identified. A supplier needs to know which holes locate the part, which surfaces contact the fixture, and which dimensions affect the next operation. Bend direction, weld sequence, material movement, coating thickness, and part orientation can all influence how reliably a component enters an automated process. If every dimension is treated as equally important, the quote may include unnecessary cost without protecting the features that actually control performance. If the critical features are not identified, the part may pass a general inspection while still creating repeated trouble on the production floor. A better approach begins with the application. Buyers should explain how the part will be handled, located, assembled, or inspected. Fabricators should ask which features control fit and function before assuming the drawing tells the complete story. That conversation gives both companies an opportunity to assign practical tolerances, choose appropriate inspection methods, and determine whether fixtures or sample approvals are needed.   ## **Repeatability Includes More Than Dimensions** Dimensional consistency is important, but an automated process can also be affected by weld spatter, distortion, coating buildup, surface condition, packaging, and part orientation. A component that leaves fabrication in tolerance can still arrive damaged or tangled if the packaging was designed only to minimize freight cost. Parts that will be loaded into an automated system may need separators, defined orientation, or containers that protect locating features. Revision control also matters because a small drawing change may appear harmless while changing the way a gripper holds the part or the way a sensor recognizes it. Buyers and suppliers need a reliable method for confirming that the correct revision reaches production, inspection, and packaging. This is why manufacturing automation quality cannot be assigned to one department. Engineering defines the requirements, purchasing communicates them, the supplier controls the process, inspection verifies the result, and packaging protects the work through delivery. The lowest piece price may not produce the lowest operating cost if part variation causes recurring interruptions.   ## **A Better Supplier Conversation** When a fabricated component will support an automated process, the buyer and supplier should discuss several questions before the order is released. Which features locate or orient the part? Which dimensions affect clamping, feeding, joining, or automated inspection? Could welding, forming, or finishing change those features? How will the parts be packaged and presented when they reach production? What approval or inspection method will confirm that the process is stable before the full quantity is produced? These questions are not intended to make every project more complicated. They help concentrate attention on the details that protect production while preventing unnecessary requirements elsewhere. The goal is not perfection for its own sake. The goal is controlled, repeatable performance.   ## **Consistency Protects the Automation Investment** Automation can improve throughput, capacity, safety, quality, and access to useful production data. NIST identifies improved consistency, quality, and yield among the important benefits of manufacturing automation. [NIST](https://www.nist.gov/mep/robotics-and-manufacturing-automation?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Those gains still depend on what enters the system. When manufacturers invest in automated equipment, component suppliers become part of the automation strategy. A bracket, enclosure, frame, cart, or welded assembly may represent a small portion of the equipment budget, but its consistency can influence whether the larger system operates as planned. Before releasing a fabricated component for an automated line, make sure the supplier understands how the part will be used, which features matter most, and how the finished parts need to arrive.                             [**![logo-color-500x160](https://mfefix.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-color-500x160.png?width=250&height=80&name=logo-color-500x160.png)**](https://mfefix.com) **Metal Fab Engineering, Inc.** 9341 South State Road 39 Winamac, Indiana 46996 Services - [Laser Cutting](https://mfefix.com/services) - [Bending](https://mfefix.com/services) - [Welding](https://mfefix.com/services) - [Powder Coating](https://mfefix.com/services) About - [About Us](https://mfefix.com/about) - [Careers](https://mfefix.com/careers) - [Privacy Policy](https://mfefix.com/privacy-policy) - [Terms of Use](https://mfefix.com/terms-and-conditions) Resources - [Smart RFQ](https://mfefix.com/smart-rfq) - [Gallery](https://mfefix.com/gallery) - [Blog](https://mfefix.com/blog) - [Contact Us](https://mfefix.com/contact) - Website Design and Advertising provided by Expert Internet Marketing © 2026 Metal Fab Engineering [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Metal-Fab-Engineering-119939242907885)[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/mfelasercutting)[Linkedin](http://www.linkedin.com/company/metal-fab-engineering-inc) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Holly Stonebraker", "url" : "https://mfefix.com/blog/author/holly-stonebraker" }, "dateModified" : "2026-10-21T14:37:08.079Z", "datePublished" : "2026-10-21T14:37:01.000Z", "headline" : "Automation Raises the Quality Bar", "image" : [ "https://mfefix.com/hubfs/Cycle%20Stopped_%20Misaligned%20Bracket%20blog%20image.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://mfefix.com/blog/automation-raises-the-quality-bar", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://mfefix.com/hubfs/rubech-it-logo-2.jpg" }, "name" : "Metal Fab Engineering" } } ```