Traditional automation is too costly and inflexible

The old automation playbook is proving too pricey to adapt. https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/

In a recent interview, Intrinsic’s Stefan Nusser argues that traditional automation is “too expensive and too inflexible.” https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/

For years, automation followed a stable formula: high-volume production, long product lifecycles, and robotic systems designed to repeat the same process millions of times with minimal variation. Nusser’s critique centers on the cost and rigidity baked into that model, a thesis that challenges the industry’s deepest old guard. https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/

Nusser argues the industry must shift toward flexible, modular approaches that can be reconfigured without a full rebuild, signaling a pivot away from fixed lines tied to a single product family. The interview frames adaptability as a core capability rather than a nice-to-have feature for future upgrades. https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/

Industry observers will watch whether deployments beyond pilot demos justify the shift, as the ROI narrative moves from theoretical promises to real production data and the pain points of integration. Nusser’s stance places the burden on vendors and manufacturers to prove that flexible automation can deliver on speed, uptime, and cost in a world of frequent product changes. https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/

From the floor, practitioners should watch four practical considerations as this debate unfolds: balancing upfront capex with ongoing software and maintenance costs; the time and floor space required for integration into existing lines; the training hours needed for staff to operate modular systems; and the hidden costs vendors don’t mention upfront, such as software compatibility and long-tail support. https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/

In the end, Nusser’s verdict is a call to reframe automation success around resilience and reconfigurability rather than relics of a no-change, high-volume era. If the industry can prove that flexible systems cut total cost of ownership in real deployments, the old lines may finally fade from the plant floor. https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2026/05/13/interview-with-intrinsics-stefan-nusser-traditional-automation-is-too-expensive-and-too-inflexible/101497/