Free Automation Review

For Canadian Manufacturers

Find a practical way to automate your manual process.

Explore technologies, implementation costs, and technology suppliers.

Free advice and project review from an advisor for Canadian manufacturers.

Free Automation Project Review

You selected WMS / WES / MES. Describe your process challenge below and we will open your Automation Project workspace.

Describe a manual task you'd like to automate.

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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.

Request a free project reviewAbout Innovation Peer

Applications

What Would You Like to Automate?

Start with a task in your facility. Explore where automation may fit and what to consider next.

View all technologies

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

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Equipment only. Installation is not included.

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Included: Vacuum or mechanical lift assist hardware; Basic installation accessories for one station.

    Excluded: Ongoing labour; Full robotic cell; Major conveyor redesign; Taxes and freight.

    Unknown: Case weight and grip surface; Ceiling or boom mounting constraints.

    Partial automation

    $60,000 – $140,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Semi-automatic palletizing or layer-forming aids; Basic guarding and commissioning for one station.

    Excluded: Major civil works; Upstream case packing redesign; Taxes and freight; Multi-year service contracts.

    Unknown: SKU mix and changeover design; Infeed/outfeed interfaces.

    Robotic palletizing cell

    $150,000 – $320,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Robot or cobot; End effector; Infeed staging; Pallet handling; Guarding; Basic controls; Commissioning for one end-of-line cell.

    Excluded: Taxes and freight; Major civil works; Upstream packaging redesign; Ongoing service contracts.

    Unknown: Case rate and payload; SKU mix and pallet patterns; Available footprint.

    Illustrative calculation, 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

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Equipment only. Installation is not included.

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Included: Improved fixtures, trays, or near-machine staging hardware for one machine.

    Excluded: Robot cell; Machine retrofit; Taxes and freight.

    Unknown: Part family geometry; Existing fixture reuse.

    Automated machine loading

    $120,000 – $280,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Cobot or industrial tending equipment; Part presentation; Safety; Basic machine interface and commissioning for one CNC.

    Excluded: Second machine; Major machine rebuild; Taxes and freight; Ongoing service contracts.

    Unknown: Machine door/chuck handshake; Part weight and grip; Cycle time and utilization.

    Illustrative calculation, 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

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Equipment only. Installation is not included.

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Included: Improved carts, staging, or route aids for indoor moves.

    Excluded: AGV/AMR fleet; Fixed conveyor civil works; Taxes and freight.

    Unknown: Payload and carrier type; Move counts.

    Conveyor where suitable

    $80,000 – $250,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Fixed conveyor sections; Basic controls and commissioning for a stable point-to-point indoor path.

    Excluded: Full warehouse redesign; Taxes and freight; Ongoing service contracts.

    Unknown: Path length; Elevation changes; Accumulation needs.

    AGV / AMR solution

    $120,000 – $450,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Starter AGV/AMR fleet or pilot vehicles. This example is a starter fleet or pilot. It is not one vehicle and it is not a full movement workflow.

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Starter AGV/AMR fleet or pilot vehicles; Charging/staging; Basic fleet software; Commissioning for defined indoor routes.

    Excluded: Outdoor yard logistics; Major facility rebuild; Taxes and freight; Multi-year SaaS beyond pilot.

    Unknown: Fleet size; Traffic and doors; IT/OT interfaces; Moves per hour.

    Illustrative calculation, 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

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Equipment only. Installation is not included.

    Equipment only. Does not include installation.

    Included: Racking, masking standards support, and booth process aids.

    Excluded: Robot cell; New booth construction; Taxes and freight.

    Unknown: Coating chemistry; Colour change frequency.

    Assisted spray / reciprocators

    $70,000 – $180,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Gun movers or reciprocators; Basic booth integration and commissioning for simple geometries.

    Excluded: Full 3D robotic path cell; New booth civil works; Taxes and freight.

    Unknown: Part geometry; Touch-up labour remaining.

    Robotic spray coating cell

    $180,000 – $400,000 CAD

    Illustrative calculation. Dated 2026-03-01. Includes installation for the listed scope

    Includes installation for this approach.

    Included: Spray robot or dedicated spray automation; Booth integration; Path programming; Safety and commissioning for one coating cell.

    Excluded: Greenfield booth/oven construction; Taxes and freight; Ongoing service contracts.

    Unknown: Colour change and reclaim; Ventilation upgrades; Part racking and masking.

    Illustrative calculation, not a supplier quote.

    View the detailed example
Explore costs & options

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.

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Physical Automation Advice for Canadian Manufacturers | Innovation Peer