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The role of the human operator in manufacturing systems has changed in recent decades as computers, data networks and intelligent machines have been introduced. One effect is that the number of operators has been reduced as the cost of operators is higher than the cost of computers, intelligent machines and intelligent transportation systems. However, to reach a balanced automation system, it is necessary to consider the relative cost of labor as compared with advanced machinery. At the same time, it is essential that these considerations do not affect product quality.The way of reaching a balanced automation systerri presented in this paper is through appropriate levels of control and automatization, considering cost and product quality. It is demonstrated how a modem machining cell can be stripped, according to the described levels of automatization, to save money and thus reach a balanced automation system without any loss of product quality. The bottom line of the discussion is that product supervision should not be left to human operators solely, but rather be performed automatically by the system. Apart from the machining cell, an assembly cell in a car manufacturing installation is also demonstrated to explain the full range of aspects of automatization when designing a balanced manufacturing system.

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