For Canadian Manufacturers

Make Your Next Automation Decision With Confidence.

See the options and likely costs for one plant-floor task, and which suppliers may fit. Advisory help is free.

Supplier introductions only with your approval.

Request a free project review

An automation advisor reviews your process and replies by email.

You selected Robotic Painting / Coating / Finishing. Describe your process challenge below and we will open your Automation Project workspace.

Explore Your Process With AI

Describe what happens today and what makes it difficult. A rough description is enough.

Get an AI-generated initial assessment of your process.

Try an example

By continuing, you agree to the Terms.

Automation Advisor

Work Through Your Next Step With an Automation Advisor

An automation advisor reviews one process with you: what happens on the floor today, which approaches are worth pricing, and which facts are still missing. Suppliers are introduced only when you approve.

What Could Automation Cost?

Compare indicative planning ranges for common plant-floor tasks. Each approach shows whether installation is included.

Indicative planning ranges, not supplier quotes. Actual costs depend on your process and scope.

  • Stack Finished Cases Onto Pallets

    Finished cases leave a packaging line and are stacked onto pallets by hand today.

    Assumes: One packaging-line discharge to pallet build, excluding upstream case packing and warehouse putaway.

    Lifting assistance

    $15,000 – $45,000 CAD

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Partial automation

    $60,000 – $140,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Robotic palletizing cell

    $150,000 – $320,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Indicative CAD ranges, not a supplier quote.

    View the detailed example
  • Load and Unload One CNC Machine

    An operator loads and unloads parts on a single CNC while the spindle waits.

    Assumes: One CNC machine tending loop, excluding upstream machining process design and downstream assembly.

    Improved fixtures and presentation

    $10,000 – $40,000 CAD

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Automated machine loading

    $120,000 – $280,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Indicative CAD ranges, not a supplier quote.

    View the detailed example
  • Move Materials Between Work Areas

    People or tuggers move totes, carts, or pallets between warehouse and production stations.

    Assumes: Internal moves between defined pickup and drop-off points, excluding outdoor yard logistics.

    Improved manual movement

    $5,000 – $25,000 CAD

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Conveyor where suitable

    $80,000 – $250,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    AGV / AMR solution

    $120,000 – $450,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Indicative CAD ranges, not a supplier quote.

    View the detailed example
  • Spray-Coat Parts in a Paint Booth

    Operators spray-coat parts in a booth today, with finish variation, colour changeovers, and exposure concerns.

    Assumes: One spray booth coating cell, excluding upstream fabrication and downstream bake/cure line design unless already installed.

    Booth and process improvements

    $8,000 – $35,000 CAD

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Assisted spray / reciprocators

    $70,000 – $180,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Robotic spray coating cell

    $180,000 – $400,000 CAD

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Indicative CAD ranges, not a supplier quote.

    View the detailed example

What You Get

A written summary of one process: findings, missing inputs, and a next step. This palletizing example shows the format. It is not a client result, a supplier quote, or a measured outcome.

Illustrative Example. Not a Client Result or Supplier Quote.

Process

Manual end-of-line case palletizing

Findings

Preliminary view only: line rate and product variation still need to be checked before a palletizing cell is treated as the working approach.

High product variation may reduce the cycle time a cell can hold. This finding is not a feasibility approval.

Missing Inputs

  • case dimensions and weights
  • pallet patterns
  • peak line rate
  • available footprint
  • SKU change frequency

Options to Investigate

Approaches to investigate: improve the manual station, introduce lifting assistance, or assess a palletizing cell. The next comparison depends on case weights, line rate, product variation and available space.

Next Step

Collect case weights, the main pallet patterns, the line rate, and the floor space at the station.

Advisor Review

From Your Process to a Practical Next Step

This is a review by an automation advisor. An AI assessment does not book this review.

  1. 1

    Describe the Process

    Tell us what happens today and what you want to improve.

  2. 2

    Review the Opportunity

    An advisor works through suitable approaches, constraints, and missing information.

  3. 3

    Get a Written Summary

    Use the written summary to decide the next step.

  4. 4

    Connect When You Are Ready

    With your approval, an advisor introduces relevant suppliers and integrators.

Common Questions

How much detail do I need to start?
A description of the plant-floor process is enough. You do not need drawings, cycle times, or a finished business case on day one.
What does Innovation Peer cost manufacturers?
Advisory help for manufacturers is complimentary. Innovation Peer may earn supplier-side success fees after an approved introduction. Suppliers cannot pay to rank higher. Equipment, integration, and installation are separate commercial matters between you and the suppliers you choose.
What do the online tools produce?
A written view of the process, likely approaches, supplier options if you ask for them, and what drives cost. This is planning material. It is not an engineering stamp or a firm quote.
Will Innovation Peer contact suppliers on my behalf?
Only when you request an introduction, and only after you approve what may be shared.

Describe One Plant-Floor Process.

Request a free review before you call suppliers.

Physical Automation Advice for Canadian Manufacturers | Innovation Peer