KIVA Systems was / is one of my favorite examples of industrial robot automation that really worked well and demonstrated the ability to significantly improve output. They're obviously not in traditional manufacturing, but they're still a cog in the process.
Bezos among others for example are backing Heartland Robotics ($27m or more in VC so far):
http://www.heartlandrobotics.com/
KIVA Systems was / is one of my favorite examples of industrial robot automation that really worked well and demonstrated the ability to significantly improve output. They're obviously not in traditional manufacturing, but they're still a cog in the process.