MillBrief Editorial
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The MillBrief editorial desk researches, itemizes, and sources every figure the publication puts its name to, and edits contributor work to our citation format. We are not a vendor and not an integrator, so we can publish the all-in numbers and blunt conclusions that sellers leave out. Every estimate we publish is drawn from the named sources on the page and framed to be checked against your own quotes.
Recent work
- Shop Report: Anatomy of a First Machine-Tending CellA composite walk-through of a first cobot machine-tending cell, itemized line by line to about $108,000 all-in, reconstructed from MillBrief cost sources.
- Field Note: What Engineers Wish Buyers Knew About First ProjectsSix recurring lessons practitioners report about first automation projects: budget the cell not the arm, stabilize the process first, and name a champion.
- Field Note: The Case Against Automating Your Worst ProcessAutomate a broken process and you get an automated broken process. Why the temptation to fix your worst station first is the classic first-project trap.
- Why Good Paybacks Go Unbuilt: US, UK and Dutch Implementation DataPublic data from U.S. plant audits, the UK's ESOS scheme and the Dutch energy-saving duty shows how often short-payback projects get built, and what stops the rest.
- Which Automation Projects Pay Back Fastest? DOE Plant Audit DataIn DOE plant audits, scrap collection automation had the shortest median payback (0.35 years) and packing the longest (1.05). Results by project type and industry.
- The Automation Adoption Gap: What DOE Plant Assessment Data ShowsIn DOE plant assessments, automation projects with a 0.85-year median payback were implemented only 29.8% of the time. What the gap means for buyers.
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