Automated manufacturing saves time, ensures product quality and makes workplaces safer. But it also requires additional power. Grid architecture and tools from an EU-funded project could make robotised factories more energy-efficient, improving their competitiveness and environmental impact.  © wi6995 - fotolia.comMany manufacturing processes now take place in intelligent factories, where processes that build a product – such as spot-welding, riveting and gluing – are carried out by robots.