Economic
analysis of Robots
In addition to the technological
considerations involved in applications engineering for a robotics project,
there is also the economic issue.
Will the robot justify itself
economically? The economic analysis for any proposed engineering project is of
considerable importance in most companies because management
usually
decides whether to install the project on the basis of this analysis.
To perform the economic analysis of a
proposed robot project, certain basic information is needed about the project.
This information includes the type of project being considered, the cost of the
robot installation, the production cycle time, and the savings and
benefits
resulting from the project.
Type
of Robot Installation:
There
are two basic categories of robot installations that are commonly encountered.
The first involves a new application. This is where there is no existing
facility.
The
second situation is the robot installation to
replace a current method of operation.
The present
method typically involves a
production operation that is performed manually, and the robot would be used
somehow to substitute for the human labor.
In
either of these situations, certain basic cost information is needed in order
to perform the economic analysis.
The following subsection discusses the
kinds of cost and operating data that are used to analyze the alternative
investment projects.
Cost
Data Required for the Analysis
The cost data required to perform the economic
analysis of a robot project divide into two types: investment costs and
operating costs.
Investment
costs:
1. Robot
purchase cost—The basic price of the robot equipped from the manufacturer with
the
proper
options (excluding end effector) to perform the application.
2. Engineering costs— The costs of planning and
desig engineering staff to install the robot.
3. Installation
costs— This includes the labor and materials needed to prepare the installation
site (provision for utilities, floor preparation, etc.).
4. Special
tooling— This includes the cost of the end eflector, parts position and other
fixtures and tools required to operate the work cell,
5. Miscellaneous
costs—This covers the additional investment costs not included by any of the
above categories (e.g., other equipment needed for the cell).
Operating
costs and savings:
6.
Direct labor cost—The direct labor cost associated with the operation of the
robot cell. Fringe benefits are usually included in the calculation of direct
labor rate, but other overhead costs are excluded.
7.
Indirect labor cost—The indirect labor costs that can be directly allocated to
thc operation of the robot cell. These costs include supervision, setup,
programming, and other personnel costs not included in category 6 above
8.
Maintenance—This covers the anticipated costs of maintenance and repair for the
robot cell. These costs are included under this separate heading rather than in
category 7 because the maintenance
costs involve not only indirect labor (the maintenance crew) but also
materials (replacement parts) and
service calls by the robot manufacturer.
A reasonable of thumb‖
in the absence
of better da robot will be approximately 10 percent of
the purchase price (category I).
9.
Utilities—this includes the cost of utilities to operate the robot cell (e.g., electricity, air pressure,
gas). These are usually minor costs compared to the above items.
10.
Training—Training might be considered to be
an investment cost because much of
the training required for the
installation will occur as a first cost of the installation. However, training should he a continuing
activity, and so it is included as an operating cost.
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