Flex and Teradyne Robotics partner to advance intelligent automation in global manufacturing

Flex and Teradyne Robotics have expanded their long-standing collaboration to accelerate intelligent automation adoption across global manufacturing. Under the agreement, Flex will manufacture selected components for Teradyne Robotics' Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) brands, while also deploying UR collaborative robots and MiR autonomous mobile robots within its own production facilities. The dual role combines component manufacturing with live operational deployment, allowing robotics technologies to be validated under real manufacturing conditions. Dennis Kirkpatrick, President of Lifestyle, Consumer Devices, and Core Industrial at Flex, and Jean-Pierre Hathout, President of the Teradyne Robotics Group, both emphasized the natural progression from Flex's existing work on Teradyne semiconductor test platforms into factory automation.

This partnership matters because it bridges two critical gaps in industrial automation: the need for production-scale validation of robotics systems and the demand for integrated manufacturing solutions that combine hardware production with operational feedback loops. Flex, a global electronics manufacturing services provider with deep expertise in complex product assembly and supply chain management, gains a direct channel into the fast-growing collaborative robotics market while strengthening its own factory automation capabilities. For the broader additive manufacturing and industrial automation ecosystem, this deal signals that large contract manufacturers are increasingly embedding robotics and physical AI into their production workflows, creating new demand for automation-ready components and systems. The partnership directly addresses the scalability challenge that has limited robotics adoption in mid-volume, high-mix manufacturing environments.

From an industry perspective, the practical significance lies in Flex's ability to close the loop between component manufacturing and real-world deployment. The company must now execute on integrating UR and MiR systems across its global facilities while maintaining the manufacturing quality and supply chain reliability that Teradyne expects. For buyers evaluating automation investments, this partnership provides a reference case for how large-scale manufacturers validate and scale robotics solutions before committing to broader deployments. The focus on physical AI integration suggests that future automation systems will need to demonstrate adaptive capabilities under actual production conditions, not just theoretical performance metrics.