AUTOMATING REPETITIVE PRODUCTION PROCESSES IN SMES WITH COLLABORATIVE ROBOTS

Robots, for some time have been presented as equipment or machines that have been part of this globalized world of technology. In companies and factories, it has not been overlooked; however, over time, it has become necessary to renew and/ or update equipment on a large scale, both in large businesses and in small stores; thus, collaborative robots, also known as cobots, have been created, which work in order to support the human being in various tasks, especially in repetitive activities. The physical activity of the operator is not discredited, but the cobots work under the control of those and, among the benefits of the process, there is the safety of those who are immersed in the productive environment. SMEs increase their profitability thanks to these pieces of equipment that do not need great knowledge in robotic programming nor require professional technical experts, what they do require are people with experience and ability to work in correlation with the new technology, in addition to this, the knowledge of the functions in various areas of production. Therefore, the objective of this research is to establish the benefits of automating repetitive production processes with Collaborative Robots in SMEs in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas.