Collaborative Robots in Manufacturing MSMEs: Identification and Operationalization of Enablers and Barriers

In the era of Industry 4.0 the collaborative robots (also known as cobots) are seen to have immense potential to be integrated into manufacturing systems. They demonstrate the potential to revolutionize the way automation is integrated into workplaces through encapsulation of human expertise and robotic precision. However, the deployment of cobots in the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are still in the nascent stage. While the extant literature primarily highlights the generic difficulty of MSMEs in adopting the Industry 4.0 technologies due to lack of resource and capabilities, this study specifically explores the contextual requirement of cobots. In the first stage, the enablers and barriers are identified from an extensive literature survey. Subsequently, using structured interviews with domain experts, steps to operationalize these enablers and barriers are delineated. Considering the inputs from the inputs from the domain experts, a stepwise implementation framework is put forward. The proposed framework considers three broad stages: (1) ideation stage (2) implementation stage and (3) review stage. The outcome of this study finds relevance for decision makers involved in managing and consulting the collaborative robot implementation projects.