Abstract: A control system is provided for a workcell having a plurality of electric robots and a plurality of workcell equipment items in turn having a plurality of control and sensor devices associated therewith.Respective electronic robot controllers are disposed at respective workcell locations to operate robots as a part of the workcell process. Each robot controller has a floppy disk or other means for loading program data for one of the robot controllers.A first input/output control module is disposed at another workcell location and it has connected thereto as inputs a first group of the sensor devices and as outputs a first group of the control devices. Second and third input/output control modules are disposed at additional workcell locations and have connected thereto as inputs second and third groups of the sensor devices and as outputs second and third groups of the control devices.