Collaborative or substitutive robots? Effects on workers’ skills in manufacturing activities

Abstract

Collaborative robots (cobots) are a type of Industry 4.0 technology designed to support manufacturing workers and create smart working environments (also called as Industry 5.0). However, little is known about how the use of cobots shapes workers’ skills. We analyse this in four types of human-cobot interaction: coexistence, synchronism, cooperation, and collaboration. We examine the implementation of cobots by a leading global provider using a qualitative research based on: (i) analysis of reports regarding the implementation of 200 cobots in 138 companies, (ii) interviews with the team and customers, (iii) six-month follow-up of cobot implementation in a manufacturing plant, and (iv) interviews with two cobot competitors. Our findings demonstrate how each type of human-cobot interaction influences workers’ skills in various manufacturing activities. We observe that most companies are in early stages of implementation, focusing on worker substitution. However, we identify a range of effects, including deskilling or reskilling, depending on the type of manufacturing activity analysed. The upskilling effect is particularly evident in the most advanced types of human-cobot interaction, regardless of the company's size. As a main contribution, this paper sheds light on how companies can enhance workers’ skills through other levels of interaction between workers and cobots.

KEYWORDS:

• Industry 4.0
• Industry 5.0
• Collaborative robots
• Smart working
• Workers’ skills

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), Foundation of Research Support of the State do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul) and the Research Coordination of the Brazilian Ministry of Education (CAPES), for the financial support received to conduct this research. This study is part of the Master Dissertation of Ms. Jessica de Assis Dornelles, conducted at the Industrial Engineering Graduate Program of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The other two co-authors supervised this thesis. This work can be consulted in the reference list as Dornelles (2022).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data available on request due to privacy restrictions.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico [grant number PQ 1D e PQ 2]; Coordenation de Aperfeioamento de Pessoal de Nvel Superior [grant number Master scholarship].

Notes on contributors

Jéssica de Assis Dornelles

Jéssica de Assis Dornelles, M.S. is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil. She is member of the Organizational Engineering Group (NEO – Núcleo de Engenharia Organizacional) at UFRGS. Her research focuses on leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies to enhance workers’ activities in the manufacturing sector.

Néstor F. Ayala

Néstor Fabián Ayala, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Service Engineering at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) – Brazil and a Visiting Professor at School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. He is also co-director of the Organizational Engineering Group (NEO – Núcleo de Engenharia Organizacional) at UFRGS. His main research interests include strategic management and operations management focusing on servitization and Industry 4.0.

Alejandro G. Frank

Alejandro Germán Frank, Ph.D., is Professor of Industrial Organization at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) – Brazil. And the director of the Organizational Engineering Group (NEO – Núcleo de Engenharia Organizacional). He has been a research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and a visiting scholar at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). His research is devoted to the interface between operations and technology management, emphasizing digital transformation, Servitization, Industry 4.0, and new business models in manufacturing firms.