Comparison of the level of robotisation in poland and selected countries, including social and economic factors

Abstract

Two opposing tendencies are observable in the field of industrial production in economically developed countries. From the perspective of the management staff, for whom economic effects are paramount, the most important are increased work efficiency and reduced cost of production. Such actions are intended to provide an appropriate competitive position for the company. From the standpoint of the employees, aware of their growing position on the labour market and their value, the most important are suitable working conditions and adequate compensation. These opposing tendencies can be reconciled by the widespread automation and robotisation of the production processes. This requires substantial investment and, considering the growing costs of labour, can provide an increase in efficiency and a reduction in the costs of production. Growth in robotisation and automation are also necessary due to the shrinking labour resources. This paper is intended to analyse the level of robotisation in selected countries, and to investigate the relations between labour costs and the degree of robot utilisation. The final part of the paper characterises the condition of Polish industry from the perspective of robotisation, based on a more in-depth analysis of selected factors. On this basis, the directions are outlined for the necessary changes to achieve further growth and approach the levels observed in European Union countries.