Chang Robotics and OTTO Team Up to Transform Manufacturing and Consumer Automation
Chang Robotics and OTTO by Rockwell Automation announced a strategic collaboration to deploy autonomous mobile robots and integrated autonomy systems across manufacturing, food and beverage, automotive, consumer goods and e commerce. The tie up accelerates a broader shift toward robotics driven efficiency at a time when firms are under pressure from rising labor costs, supply chain volatility and growing online demand.
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Chang Robotics, LLC and OTTO by Rockwell Automation said Wednesday they are partnering to accelerate adoption of autonomous mobile robots and integrated autonomy platforms in manufacturing and consumer product supply chains. The announcement, released via GlobeNewswire from Jacksonville Florida on November 12, 2025, names targeted sectors including manufacturing, food and beverage, automotive, consumer goods and e commerce as early priorities for joint deployments.
Chang Robotics is known for autonomy software and robotic navigation systems while OTTO operates as the autonomous mobile robot division within Rockwell Automation, a major industrial controls and automation company. Together the firms intend to combine Chang Robotics hardware and autonomy stacks with OTTO systems integration and Rockwell Automation channel access. The collaboration aims to reduce manual material handling, increase throughput in warehouses and factory floors, and shorten internal logistics cycles that have been a persistent drag on operational efficiency.
The move comes amid accelerating investment in robotics. Industry analysts have documented double digit growth in demand for autonomous mobile robots in recent years as manufacturers and logistics operators seek to cut dependence on temporary labor and to speed fulfillment for online orders. Manufacturing remains a large part of many advanced economies with value added at roughly one tenth of gross domestic product in the United States, making productivity gains from automation commercially significant for growth and competitiveness.
For corporate balance sheets the promise is faster returns on capital spending as robotics lowers per unit labor costs and reduces error and damage rates in distribution. For operations managers the appeal is modular automation that can be scaled without major capital refits. The timing also reflects labor market realities. Employers report difficulty filling routine warehouse and factory jobs, a dynamic that has pushed up wage bills and encouraged capital investment in robotics and software.
Policy and market implications are complex. Greater automation can boost output and resiliency in supply chains but it also raises questions about workforce transitions. Economists emphasize that automation historically reallocates tasks rather than eliminating work completely, increasing demand for roles in maintenance, software, system integration and higher skilled production jobs. Public policy choices on training, apprenticeships and worker mobility will shape how the gains from automation are distributed across communities.
For investors the partnership signals consolidation of capabilities along the robotics value chain. Rockwell Automation brings scale and customer relationships, while Chang Robotics brings specialist autonomy expertise. If deployments scale as planned, original equipment manufacturers and logistics operators could see measurable productivity gains within a few quarters of implementation, particularly in high turnover operations such as e commerce fulfillment and food processing.
Long term the collaboration underscores a broader structural trend. Automation investments are moving beyond long life single purpose machines toward flexible fleets of mobile robots and cloud connected control systems that can be redeployed across tasks. That evolution promises efficiency and resilience gains, while placing a premium on interoperability, standards and workforce adaptation as markets adjust.
