As demand for industrial robots surges, new research suggests the rewards are slow to materialise. According to the Cambridge University study, robots typically cause early losses before they can yield a payoff. The researchers analysed industry data across 25 EU countries between 1996 and 2017. They found that when adoption levels are low, robots can have a negative effect on profit margins. As the uptake increases, however, automation drives the profits higher. This U-shaped effect was attributed to the integration process. At first, businesses using robots typically tend to focus on streamlining operations — an expensive and laborious task. But when automation…
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