Critical Factors Supporting the Implementation of Collaborative Robot Applications

The industrial collaborative robot (ICR) is a promising technology for automating assembly systems in manufacturing industries. Yet, ICRs are not widely implemented in the manufacturing industry as there are challenges during its implementation. Furthermore, current research lacks real-world case studies on ICR implementation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical factors supporting the implementation of ICR applications in assembly systems. A multiple-case study with eight case companies is presented in this paper, consisting of thirteen interviews. Moreover, critical factors were identified that could mitigate challenges in the ICR implementation process. By this, the study contributes to the current body of research by identifying and structuring the critical factors using a newness perspective. These factors can support the mitigation of potential challenges when manufacturers implement technology with a high novelty into their assembly systems. Specifically, this paper suggests that manufacturing companies focus on relieving operators from unergonomic tasks rather than focusing on high financial and efficiency gains. This finding contradicts previous research suggesting that financial gains are the main goal for manufacturing companies when implementing ICR applications. Moreover, how manufacturers work with external actors might change when implementing ICR applications, compared to traditional robots. Finally, we suggest testing the critical factors in a real-world case study investigating the whole implementing process to see if these factors, in fact, mitigate challenges.