Factors Affecting the Introduction of Industrial Robots

The lagging growth in productivity of many western industries has at last captured public attention. Many observers attribute the problem, at least in part, to management reluctance to invest in the capital equipment necessary to automate production systems at fully competitive levels. Not all such investments, however, result in equivalent benefits. This article presents the findings of a recent survey on robotisation plans, and based on these findings, a conceptual model is developed which attempts to set out the different factors which should be considered when introducing industrial robots. In addition, some attention is given to the related literature on the reasons for automation in general, and robotisation in particular.