Impacts of Robotic and Flexible Manufacturing Technologies on Manufacturing Costs and Employment.
Abstract
The issues analyzed in this paper are the extent to which unit costs and production labor requirements might be reduced in manufacturing industries if there were more widespread use of industrial robots and flexible manufacturing systems. These issues are analyzed from two perspectives. The technological focus of the first perspective is confined to the use of robotic manipulators. The percent of the production worker jobs that could be replaced by robots is estimated. Reductions in unit cost are calculated by assuming that a given precentage of labor costs is reduced. The technological focus of the second perspective is the integration of robots with other types of computer assisted manufacturing technologies into flexible manufacturing systems. Potential increase in output that could be realized in low-, medium-, and high-volume plants, if machines were fully utilized, is estimated. Based on an analysis of a large cross section of metalworking industries, a relationship is specified between the level of output and the level of unit cost. Using these results, potential reductions in unit cost for low-, medium-, and high-volume plants are estimated. Originator-supplied keywords include: Tables(Data).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA150060
Entities
People
- S. M. Miller
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University