Justification of Robotics Systems

The adoption of advanced technologies such as robotics & flexible manufacturing systems is widely seen as a key to continued competitiveness in the world market. When properly selected & defined, such technologies offer substantial potential for cost savings, flexibility, product consistency, & improved throughput. However, justification of these technologies is difficult when they are judges solely on traditional economic criteria. The lack of consideration of their strategic & long-term benefits has led to the failure of manufacturers to adopt these technologies. Too often these benefits are ignored, leading to poor decisions on the technologies to implement. The long-range cost of not automating can be much greater than the short-term cost of acquiring an automation technology.

An important point that needs to be made early in the justification of any robotics system is that the objective of any robotics system project is not to emulate existing methods & systems, simply replacing humans with robots, but to develop a new, integrated system providing financial, operational, & strategic benefits. ...Learn more?