Rented robots do the worst jobs and help factories keep humans employed.
DETROIT – S&F Foods employees spent their days lifting heavy cardboard boxes off a conveyor belt and placing them on pallets for shipping. So Mike Calleja, plant manager for the company, which makes frozen food for school cafeterias, hired a robot.
Purchasing a robot could cost up to $500,000, and Calleja wasn't even sure it would work. Instead, he rented a robot from Formic, a Woodridge, Illinois, company that handles installation, training, programming, and repairs. It costs about $23 an hour, about the same as a human.
To read this note, we have a special plan for you .
Experience the benefits of being a subscriber. Get quality information.
Up to 40% off your subscription. For a limited time: Anniversary Edition.
If you already have a subscription, just log in here .
yucatan
