Samuel Segalen from Yaskawa explains: “High product variability, seasonal production, and increasing customization have long been barriers to automation. However, this is becoming less of an issue thanks to new developments in vision systems, artificial intelligence, and robots capable of adapting to unstructured environments.”

Baptiste Amato-Gagnon from Psycle adds: “We are currently seeing strong growth in vision-based applications at the end of the line, driven by the need for release inspection, which can now be addressed with easy-to-install, turnkey solutions.”

Patrice Laubignat from Anéolia notes: “The future lies in in-line non-destructive testing, including leak detection.”

The number of inspections is expected to keep increasing, especially as quality compliance requirements are now combined with traceability and marking demands. On this topic, Marie Pochon from Zenjet Coding explains: “There is a growing need for higher precision, across longer distances and greater print heights, while maintaining high production speeds.”

According to Jonathan Asbroucq from Schmersal Group, “machine vision now makes it possible to monitor all key production parameters. This strengthens process stability while improving efficiency and reducing quality-related costs.”

Vision technologies are now embedded directly into machines. Clara Fernandes from DCN ATM highlights that they enable “the development of intelligent features such as automated settings and downtime management, reducing the need for human intervention.”

These changes are also transforming operator roles. “Operators are becoming line drivers,” says Martin Huchet from Werma. “This creates new needs in terms of signaling, for more precise monitoring of production status, as well as supervision tools with connected systems that allow real-time OEE tracking.”

Such developments also impact human-machine interfaces (HMIs). Hélène Ravoire from Proface explains: “Given the growing diversity of functionalities and machines, users are looking for reliable solutions with extended IIoT connectivity, full interoperability, and carefully designed ergonomic interfaces.”

Other key criteria when selecting end-of-line equipment include compactness and safety. “Users are looking for ultra-compact machines that can easily integrate into shared workspaces with operators,” reports Stéphane Chiry from Stoppil. Palletizing therefore remains a major area of development, particularly for cobots.

In the coming years, these may be complemented by autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which are expected to emerge more widely at the end of production lines. Serge Pitois from MG Tech explains: “A palletizing solution combining a cobot and an AMR helps simplify pallet flow management. In this setup, mobile robots replace static conveyors and transport empty or full pallets between different packaging stations.”

Finally, Pierre Astier from Sew Usocome concludes: “Deploying, managing, and maintaining an AMR fleet is becoming increasingly simple thanks to the tools developed by manufacturers, making these technologies more accessible to industrial companies.”