How D&S Manufacturing Scaled Throughput with Flexible Cobot Welding and Plasma Cutting
D&S Manufacturing | Black River Falls, WI
At a Glance
Reduced operation time by 25-40%, with some applications reaching up to 60% time saving
Added a flexible, lower-burdened automation cell to complement larger industrial robots
Achieved a half-FTE gain per shift as part of the ROI justification
Ordered a second Vectis welding cobot less than a month after proving the first system in production
Expanded into Vectis plasma cutting after building confidence with Vectis cobot welding
Improved consistency through repeatable weld sequencing, seam tracking, touch sensing, and more precise upstream cutting
Built a strong Cobot Champion culture by upskilling welders instead of reducing automation work to button-pushing
D&S Manufacturing had already built a mature automation foundation before adding Vectis cobot welding and plasma cutting systems to their shop floor.
With traditional robotic welding systems already in place, the team understood that automation success depends on more than equipment alone. The right application, process, support, and shop-floor ownership all play a role.
For D&S, collaborative automation was not a replacement for their existing robotic systems. It was another practical tool to increase throughput, improve consistency, and give skilled welders a flexible way to apply their process knowledge.
Before choosing a cobot welding system, D&S evaluated multiple providers and built a decision matrix around the factors that mattered most to their operation: ease of use, features, technical support, safety, maintenance, price, and company maturity. Vectis scored highest because the team saw a practical tool that could fit into real production, not just a promising demo.
“We were less than a month in [when we] saw the advantages of it. And then we had the second system ordered.
— Joe Lane (Insert Official Role(Continuous Improvement Manager?), D&S Manufacturing)
The Challenge:
Like many manufacturers, D&S was balancing labor constraints, capacity needs, customer cost-down expectations, and the constant pressure to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality.
The team had been working long hours, and automation offered a practical way to increase capacity while helping employees get time back.
“Our guys have been working overtime for so long; they understand the labor constraint that we have.” The integration of the cobot “helps them get home early and not have to work 50 hours a week, and it helped us with our capacity.” — Joe Lane (Insert Official Role (Continuous Improvement Manager?).
Repetitive, physically draining welds also created a challenge for the team. Long arc-on time on simple parts could tie up skilled welders on tiring work that was difficult to perform consistently by hand, and not always the best use of their experience.
How D&S Uses Cobot Welding to Complement Traditional Industrial Robots
D&S already had a mature foundation in traditional robotic automation. The team used Vectis cobots alongside their existing systems, matching each job to the automation tool best suited for the work. Larger robotic systems still had a place. Manual welders still had a place. Vectis cobots created a flexible automation option for parts that didn’t need the cost, complexity, or burden of a traditional robotic cell.
That flexibility helped D&S improve efficiency across the broader operation. Taking select work off larger robots freed those cells for better-fit applications, while the cobots absorbed repetitive welds that did not require the same level of automation infrastructure.
D&S also learned to be selective, focusing cobot welding on parts with accessible welds, simple positioning, repeatable setup, and clear opportunities to improve consistency or reduce operator fatigue. D&S was careful not to force every job onto the cobot. But when the team matched the system to the right parts, the time savings became measurable.
“On the right parts, [we were] cutting our operation time down anywhere from 25 to 40 percent.” — Dominik Goyette (Insert Official Role (Manufacturing Engineer?)
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How Plasma Cutting Consistency Enables Reliable Robotic Welding
For their team, one of the biggest wins came from connecting precise cutting upstream with more consistent robotic welding downstream.
One of their customers repeatedly warned D&S that the part could not be robotically welded. The concern came down to consistency. If cut features varied too much, the downstream weld process would not be repeatable enough to automate.
After working through the process design and using the Vectis plasma cutting system to produce more precise and consistent features, D&S was able to robotically weld the part successfully.
“They warned us many times, ‘You’ll never be able to robotically weld this part.’ But we ended up working through the process design and the parts. Sure enough, we were able to robotically weld it.” — Dominik Goyette.
The plasma system helped create the consistency needed upstream, which then made the robotic welding process possible downstream. Better cutting led to better fit-up, better fit-up enabled repeatable robotic welding, and the final process delivered more consistent quality.
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How D&S Built Skilled Cobot Champions to Scale Automation Success
From the start, the system was an opportunity to upskill welders, keep skilled people connected to the welding process, and give operators ownership of a productivity tool. As an employee-owned company, D&S made sure operational employees were involved from the beginning. Shop-floor team members had a voice in selecting the equipment, evaluating the integrator, and shaping how the systems would be used.
“When they’re part of the decision and feel like they have a voice, they want to see it succeed when it’s on the shop floor.” — Joe Lane.
That early involvement created ownership. Instead of handing the system down as a management-driven project, D&S gave the day-to-day team a real stake in making it work.
The company developed three practical tiers of cobot users: technical leaders who understand where the systems fit, programmer-operators who can set up and program new parts on the system, and operators who can run established programs and make minor adjustments when needed.
The cobot was a way for welders to grow their skills. Operators were encouraged to understand the process, take ownership of the machine, and use their welding knowledge to find new ways the system could add value.
Vectis Academy videos, documentation, and internal templates helped support the training process. D&S found that taking the time to help operators understand not just the steps, but the “why” behind the system, was critical to building confidence. With a clear structure and the right resources, the team built capability across multiple shifts while still protecting program integrity.
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How Plasma Cutting Automation Opened New Opportunities
After proving the value of Vectis cobot welding, D&S naturally looked to Vectis again when evaluating plasma cutting automation.
The confidence D&S gained from their Vectis welding systems made Vectis a natural first choice when they began evaluating plasma cutting automation. The ease of working with the Vectis team, combined with responsive feedback and strong experience from the welding systems, gave D&S confidence to expand into cutting.
The cutting system expanded D&S’s ability to cut precise features into 3D-shaped parts and formed assemblies, which created new opportunities for both fabrication and downstream welding automation.
“I have a lot of fun with the plasma system.” — Dominik Goyette.
The plasma system also gave the team new challenges to solve, especially around locating parts accurately when cutting on surfaces that are not permanently fixed to the deployment. That learning curve became another opportunity for D&S’ Cobot Champions to build expertise and push the system further.
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Building a Flexible Manufacturing Strategy with the Right Automation Tools
D&S’s experience shows what mature automation adoption can look like.
The team did not buy cobots for a shortcut or a quick fix. They understood that automation only works when the application, fit-up, training, and shop-floor ownership are in place. That mindset helped them avoid one of the most common automation pitfalls: buying a tool before knowing exactly how it will be used.
The systems are used daily and trusted by the team. “Our machines are not shiny anymore. They’re well used and loved.” — Dominik Goyette.
The results include meaningful time savings, improved consistency, better use of existing automation assets, and a stronger team of welders who are learning to apply automation in practical ways.
For D&S, the guiding goals remain clear: throughput, flexibility, and an upskilled team that can take ownership of automation on the shop floor.
They are not chasing automation for its own sake. They are choosing the best tool for the job, empowering the people closest to the work, and continuing to build a stronger, more flexible manufacturing operation.