Fixed Automation is a type of automation which uses fixed and repetitive operations for producing the products of the similar types. Fixed Automation is also called as hard automation. It is initially featured by using high initial investment and by high production rates. Therefore it is used for products which are produced in large volumes.
The best example for the fixed automation is the automobile industry, the transfer line. Each operation in the Fixed Automation is simple but the coordination of all these types of simple operations makes the system complex. It is justifiable for the products with high demand rates. The initial equipment cost is very high and it is used for large number of products which make the unit cost low comparing with the types of automation.
The typical features of fixed automation include high initial investment cost for the custom engineered equipment and relative inflexibility for the accommodating product changes. So, these features make the inability of using this type of automation.