ROBOTICS · 2 HOURS
Robotics Investment Decisions
Robotics Investment Decisions teaches finance and operations directors to judge a robotics capital request on the process, the full cost of ownership and a realistic ramp-up rather than the brand. You finish with a written review that records the answers to five questions, or says which remain open, before the money is approved.
About this course
A capital request for robots or automation usually quotes a payback period, which is the cost of the investment divided by the yearly benefit, and asks a finance or investment committee to approve it. Weak requests open with a supplier's brand, count only the list price of the robot, assume the full saving from the first week, and rest much of the benefit on claims about people that have no plan behind them.
This course teaches you to test a request against the measured process, the full cost of owning the system, a realistic ramp-up, and a plan for the people affected, and to agree a ninety-day review before the money is spent. You finish with a signed five-question review that records the answer to each question, or states plainly which questions remain unanswered.
What you will take away
- You will be able to tell a measured process fact, with its measure, period, and source, from a statement about a brand or a hope, and to insist on a baseline before judging the money.
- You will be able to find the optimistic inputs in a payback case, including a missing cost of ownership such as integration, fixtures, guarding, and training, and the absence of a ramp-up.
- You will be able to separate claims about people that rest on a plan, saying who is affected, what happens, when, and who is responsible, from claims that do not.
- You will be able to ask five questions aimed at the process rather than the brand, and to write a ninety-day review into the approval with a date, an owner, a baseline, and a source.
- You will leave with a signed five-question review of one capital request that ends in support, support with conditions, or not yet.
Who this course is for
- Finance directors and finance business partners who approve or challenge capital requests for robots and automation and understand payback and discounting.
- Operations directors who sponsor automation projects and want their requests to survive scrutiny from the board.
- Members of investment committees who need a consistent set of questions to ask of any robotics request, whatever the supplier.
- Owners of small and medium-sized manufacturers who are weighing a first robot cell and want to judge it on their own process rather than on the brand.
What you will do
Each lesson teaches one part of the method, works through a realistic example, and ends with a check on a case you have not seen. The course closes with an assessment and then the piece of work you sign.
- 5lessons with a worked example and a check
- 8scenario questions in the course assessment
- Signedthe five-question review, with a record anyone can verify
- 2 hoursat your own pace, with progress saved
- 01
Lesson
Start with the process
This lesson explains why a capital request must begin with the process it will change and what a baseline of measured figures, each with a period and a source, looks like. You see a welding request opening rewritten, then choose which of two packing requests starts with the process.
- The process comes before the equipment
- What a baseline is
- What starting with the process is not
- Two labels for each sentence
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 02
Lesson
Payback, honestly
This lesson explains what simple payback measures, the full cost of owning a robot cell, and why a benefit must be measured against the baseline and ramped up over time. You compare two payback cases for a welding cell, then choose the palletiser case you could defend to the board.
- What payback measures
- The cost of owning a cell
- The benefit, measured and ramped
- Right arithmetic on the wrong numbers
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 03
Lesson
People in the case
This lesson examines claims about people, such as roles saved or staff redeployed, the new work automation creates, and why consultation with HR matters, without giving legal advice. You mark claims from a warehouse case, then mark sentences from a machine-tending request as supported by a plan or claimed without one.
- Most cases rest on a claim about people
- Supported by a plan, or claimed without a plan
- The new work automation creates
- Consultation and HR
- What this lesson is not about
You mark 4 statements from a realistic case and receive an explanation for each one.
- 04
Lesson
Five questions
This lesson sets out five questions aimed at the process rather than the brand, covering the baseline, the exceptions, the cost to own, the people, and the ninety-day measures. You rewrite a first draft of meeting questions, then choose the question for a vision inspection request that is aimed at the process.
- Five questions aimed at the process
- Aimed at the brand, or aimed at the process
- Ask for a fact the request has not given
- What the five questions are not
You compare two versions of the same piece of work, choose the stronger one, and see the reasoning behind the answer.
- 05
Lesson
Ninety days on
This lesson explains what a post-investment review does, why ninety days after go-live is a useful first point, and why the review must be agreed when the investment is approved. You see a vague review line rewritten, then edit a palletiser review plan so it can actually be carried out.
- What a post-investment review does
- Why ninety days
- Agree it when the investment is approved
- Look at the exceptions and the people
- What a review is not
You repair a flawed draft so it meets the standard the lesson sets, and your revision is checked against it.
- 06
Course assessment
Judging a whole request
This lesson recaps the method, shows how its parts depend on each other, and names the common patterns in weak requests, such as the brochure opening and the list-price payback. You read one sanding cell request with the whole method, then answer eight situations and need six correct to pass.
- The method in one place
- How the parts depend on each other
- Common patterns in weak requests
- How the assessment works
You judge 8 new workplace situations, with feedback on every option, and need 6 correct to pass.
- 07
Final work and signed record
The five-question review
This final lesson explains how to write each of the five questions for a specific request, record the answer or not yet answered, and state your view with any conditions. You write the review for a real or recent capital request and sign it as your record, which is not financial advice or an approval.
- What the review is
- Choose a real request, and keep it shareable
- Write each question for this request
- Answered, or not yet answered
- Your view, and how the review is checked
You write the five-question review for your own work, part by part, and sign it as your record.
GOOD WORK.THE FIVE-QUESTION REVIEW, SIGNED.
WHAT CHANGES
What the course changes for you and your organisation.
- 01
Payback figures the cell can reach
The course shows you how to rebuild a payback on the full cost of owning the cell and a realistic ramp-up instead of the list price and a first-day saving. Your committee then approves a payback period the investment can achieve rather than one built on the right arithmetic and the wrong numbers.
- 02
Meetings focused on your process
The five questions replace questions about the supplier's reputation with questions about your line, your exceptions, your people, and your figures. Suppliers and sponsors have to answer with facts about the request in front of you rather than with a reference site.
- 03
A review agreed before approval
The ninety-day review is written into the approval with its measures, sources, and owner, so it cannot later be designed around the figures that look best. Your organisation learns whether the case was right while there is still time to correct the way the cell runs.
- 04
Payback expectations are short
Make UK found in 2023 that 39% of UK manufacturers expect automation to pay back within one to two years. A structured review of process, full cost of ownership and ramp-up helps a finance director test that expectation before the money is approved.
QUESTIONS
Questions about Robotics Investment Decisions
- What is Robotics Investment Decisions about?
- A capital request for robots or automation usually quotes a payback period, which is the cost of the investment divided by the yearly benefit, and asks a finance or investment committee to approve it. Weak requests open with a supplier's brand, count only the list price of the robot, assume the full saving from the first week, and rest much of the benefit on claims about people that have no plan behind them. This course teaches you to test a request against the measured process, the full cost of owning the system, a realistic ramp-up, and a plan for the people affected, and to agree a ninety-day review before the money is spent. You finish with a signed five-question review that records the answer to each question, or states plainly which questions remain unanswered.
- Who is Robotics Investment Decisions for?
- Finance directors and finance business partners who approve or challenge capital requests for robots and automation and understand payback and discounting. Operations directors who sponsor automation projects and want their requests to survive scrutiny from the board. Members of investment committees who need a consistent set of questions to ask of any robotics request, whatever the supplier. Owners of small and medium-sized manufacturers who are weighing a first robot cell and want to judge it on their own process rather than on the brand. No specialist background is assumed, and every term is explained before it is used.
- What will I be able to do after Robotics Investment Decisions?
- You will be able to tell a measured process fact, with its measure, period, and source, from a statement about a brand or a hope, and to insist on a baseline before judging the money. You will be able to find the optimistic inputs in a payback case, including a missing cost of ownership such as integration, fixtures, guarding, and training, and the absence of a ramp-up. You will be able to separate claims about people that rest on a plan, saying who is affected, what happens, when, and who is responsible, from claims that do not. You will be able to ask five questions aimed at the process rather than the brand, and to write a ninety-day review into the approval with a date, an owner, a baseline, and a source. You will leave with a signed five-question review of one capital request that ends in support, support with conditions, or not yet.
- How long does the course take, and how is it taught?
- The course takes about 2 hours and is studied online at your own pace. It has 5 lessons, each with a worked example, a practice exercise, and a check on a new case, followed by a course assessment of 8 scenario questions in which you need 6 correct to pass. Your progress is saved to your account.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes. When you pass, you sign a record that names you, the course, and the five-question review. Anyone you share it with can verify it online and download it as a PDF. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.
- How much does it cost, and when can I start?
- The course costs £149, paid once by card through Stripe. Access begins as soon as payment is confirmed, and you can save a sign-in to return to the course from any device.
- Can my organisation train a whole team?
- Yes. Individuals can buy any self-paced course online, and organisations can book trainer-led courses for teams, in person or online, through the Experrt Academy.
More robotics courses are listed on the self-paced robotics and automation courses for non-engineers page.
THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER.
Start today, and finish with
the five-question review your organisation can use.
Checkout takes an email address and a card, and access begins as soon as payment is confirmed. When you finish, you sign a record that names you and the five-question review, which anyone you choose can verify online. The record confirms what you completed and does not claim compliance with any regulation.