Integrating Flexible Material Flow Solutions for Enhanced Automation in Seamless Manufacturing

European manufacturers face significant cost pressure that necessitates increased automation to sustain profitability. Simultaneously, they must remain agile in responding to fluctuating customer demands, product customisation, and constantly changing market conditions. This shift toward individualised and flexible manufacturing challenges the traditional integration of process sequence-oriented production systems. Consequently, the rigid interlinking of operating resources in highly productive systems must be rethought by a more flexible material flow solution. This paper discusses seamless material flow solutions in automated manufacturing processes, along with a proposed generalised seven-step “flow-first” approach designed for implementation in active manufacturing environments. This approach guides factories from manual conveyance to a self-healing, human-aware material-flow network, connecting highly productive manufacturing assets. Each level bundles capabilities, maps them to production-management requirements, and specifies the data foundations needed to unlock subsequent steps. Besides the theoretical baseline through preliminary literature research, the approach is being tested by a leading Swiss automation solution provider and four manufacturing companies to ensure its practicality and industry relevance. For practitioners, the framework serves both as a diagnostic mirror and as a roadmap that sequences investments in socio-technical change, equipment and digital infrastructure. For scholars, it reframes material flow from a supporting function to a strategic lever linking flexible manufacturing systems theory with operations management and Industry 4.0 research. Limitations stemming from the assembly-centric sample, data-rich prerequisites and pending techno-economic validation are discussed, outlining directions for cross-sector testing and cost–benefit modelling in further research.