Robots take over

Dramatic changes in areas as diverse as semiconductor costs, software tools, and the trend toward regional aircraft are creating opportunities for airplane manufacturers to automate their factories.

Less-expensive, more-powerful robots are playing a bigger role in manufacturing planes despite the industry's fairly low volumes and high level of customization.

As the automotive industry adopted robots by the thousands during the 1980s and 1990s, the aerospace industry remained productive without changing from manual production techniques. But robots and aircraft have become increasingly intertwined during this decade.