we priced the arm and apparently forgot the job

We have one mounting block that runs most weeks. I can limit the pilot to that, but it arrives loose in a box. Presentation is probably the expensive unknown

Measure that manual preparation first; a robot purchase isn't needed to expose its labour cost.

I've booked time with the operator to map unpacking through finished trays. We're not counting only the pick-and-place section this time

Also ask what makes them reject a block, or your neat pilot may depend on somebody silently sorting the awkward pieces out first.

Include rejects in the observation sheet, with the reason and handling time.

Our class once timed the easy tray ten times and called it representative, then discovered the person supplying those trays was doing all the hard work off camera.

Agree the sample with your colleague before timing, including the awkward routine cases.

She picked the sample with the operator. It includes normal tangled arrivals and a tray change. We've agreed to report assistance separately instead of hiding it in a cycle average

Cannot judge the saving without a baseline. Time the current method on comparable work as well, and note interruptions rather than quietly deleting them.

And cap the pilot effort; agree when enough evidence means pause, revise or continue.

We agreed an effort cap at the planning meeting. No arm order from this exercise; the next decision is whether presentation is worth a paid tooling trial

Who records the internal hours, so the tooling decision includes the work you're already committing?