The globalization and the increasing challenge from low-wage competitors highlight the need for European industries to enhance their ability to develop and manufacture products competitively. Meeting customer demands requires a high degree of flexibility, low-cost/low-volume manufacturing skills and an ability to offer short delivery times. In order to stay competitive, many manufacturing industries are trying to implement the unique management principles and practices of the Toyota Motor Corporation’s with many different names as e.g. “The Toyota Production System” or “Lean production”. One question and debate within industry, during the transformation towards lean manufacturing is whether traditional robot automation fits the principles and practices of lean? This paper resents a case study which has investigated if industrial robot automation has a place in a manufacturing company pursuing the lean philosophy. The case study is based on one manufacturing company in Sweden that is currently implementing a transformation towards a lean-based production system. The case study was performed using interviews at the company, observation at the manufacturing plant, and workshops together with key-employees at the company. The results from the case study show that there is a need to align the company’s present robotic equipment and machinery towards lean principles. The lean transformation within the company is based on increased availability, controlled buffers, a more open layout, and flow-based manufacturing with reduced batch sizes which all effect the equipment and machinery. In order for the robot automation to fit lean principles and practices there is a need for development of robotized working cells with increased availability, reduced set-up times by improving the ability for easily reconfiguration, and improved information design to clearly present visual information and options to the operators.