Plug & Produce robot assistants as shared resources: A simulation approach

Plug and produce robot assistants have been developed to support flexible automation in smart factories as a shared resource on the shop floor. However, although the technology is reaching commercial maturity, there is still a scarcity of methods to support analysing their implementation feasibility, making it difficult to evaluate their use in real-world operations. In this study, we propose an approach that combines physical experiments and hybrid simulation to support analysing the feasibility and viability of operating plug and produce robot assistants before making considerable investments and without disturbing the running production. The applicability and usefulness of this new approach have been demonstrated through an in-depth case study conducted in a large manufacturing company. The results show that the approach supports verifying, analysing and improving the operation of plug and produce robot assistants as shared resources in dynamic production environments.