Although automatic insertion equipment for electronic card assembly has been available for many years, it has not always been properly utilized. Improper use results in a substantial waste of equipment, capital, and man-hours. On the other hand, proper use of automatic insertion equipment can increase the productivity of a manufacturing area six to eight times over the manual method. Sometimes the increase in productivity is as much as 20 times. Automatic insertion starts at 1,000 pieces for robotic-type equipment. The less flexible but faster automatic insertion tools can operate at rates of many thousands per hour.