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CASE STUDIES

HIROTEC AMERICA aims for lights-out manufacturing with mobile manipulation solution

Manufacturing Large Enterprise (500+ FTE) United States Indoor Low Mix/High Volume (LMHV) Fully Automated (lights out)
BY: OTTO by Rockwell Automation
|
Feb 17, 2026
OTTO 1500 with a Yaskawa Motoman arm

AT A GLANCE

CLIENT
Hirotec logo

LOCATION:

Michigan, United States

SECTOR:

Manufacturing

SUPPLIER:

OTTO by Rockwell Automation

Otto logo

 

TECHNOLOGY / PRODUCT USED:

OTTO 1500 Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)

TARGETED APPLICATION

Automating the Black Oxide Chemical Dipping Process for Spare Parts Production

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Achieving 24/7 lights-out production by combining autonomous mobility with robotic manipulation to replicate human labor

100%

Reduction in rework

24/7

"Lights-out" operation
achieved

<1 Week

For full implementation &
facility integration

"By using the OTTO 1500 with the integrated Yaskawa Motoman, we have the technology to replicate human labor. OTTO lets us test and prepare future systems to meet our corporate goals of zero operators for spare parts."

Gary Krus, VP of Business Development
Kaikaku in action: Automating the black oxide process

The Challenge

 

HIROTEC AMERICA faced significant bottlenecks in their spare parts production, specifically during the "black oxide" process. This required operators to manually move parts between chemical buckets at precise intervals. If an operator was delayed or inconsistent with the timing, the parts would rust or require expensive rework. This manual task forced skilled machinists to interrupt their high-value work, creating a "stop-and-go" workflow that prevented the company from reaching its goal of 24/7 lights-out manufacturing.

The Solution

 

The company implemented a world-first mobile manipulation solution: an OTTO 1500 AMR carrying a Yaskawa Motoman dual-arm robot. This combination allows the robot to move autonomously between different stations and perform complex dipping tasks just like a human. Because the OTTO platform requires no magnetic strips or fixed paths, it navigates safely around humans and forklifts, allowing HIROTEC to automate the entire black oxide line without changing a single piece of facility infrastructure.

KEY FEATURES

Mobile Manipulation:

 

Combines heavy-payload autonomous transport with high-precision dual-arm robotics.

Infrastructure-Free Navigation:

 

Uses onboard sensors and SLAM to navigate without wires or tape.

Replication of Human Labor:

 

Designed to perform "bucket-to-bucket" sequences with perfect timing.

Collaborative Safety:

 

Operates safely in human-dense environments without the need for safety fencing.

RESULTS

 

The solution was operational within a day and fully integrated into the production cycle in less than a week. By automating the dipping process, HIROTEC eliminated the need for manual intervention, resulting in significantly more consistent parts and higher productivity. The ability to run the process 24/7 without operators has moved the company closer to its "zero-operator" spare parts goal. Furthermore, the flexibility of the OTTO platform means HIROTEC can easily re-deploy the robot to other stations as production needs evolve, maximizing the long-term ROI of the automation investment.

0

"Lights-out" operation achieved for spare parts production

0

Reduction in rework through high-precision, automated timing

0
Full facility implementation and integration
Skilled labor reallocated to high-value, value-added tasks
Improved part quality via consistent, repeatable chemical oxidation
Peter Mourelatos, R&D Project Engineer
"OTTO was up and running around our facility within a day. In less than a week we had it running around between our different black oxide stations, and it’s providing much more consistent parts than what we saw with our manual process. We don’t have to run the parts through multiple times anymore, which improved our productivity in spare parts production."

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