Drones in manufacturing: exploring opportunities for research and practice
Tóm tắt
Although the industrial application of drones is increasing quickly, there is a scarcity of applications in manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to explore current and potential applications of drones in manufacturing, examine the opportunities and challenges involved and propose a research agenda.
The paper reports the result of an extensive qualitative investigation into an emerging phenomenon. The authors build on the literature on advanced manufacturing technologies. Data collected through in-depth interviews with 66 drone experts from 56 drone vendors and related services are analyzed using an inductive research design.
Drones represent a promising AMT that is expected to be used in several applications in manufacturing in the next few years. This paper proposes a typology of drone applications in manufacturing, explains opportunities and challenges involved and develops a research agenda. The typology categorizes four types of applications based on the drones’ capabilities to “see,” “sense,” “move” and “transform.”
The proposed research agenda offers a guide for future research on drones in manufacturing. There are many research opportunities in the domains of industrial engineering, technology development and behavioral operations.
Guidance on current and promising potentials of drones in manufacturing is provided to practitioners. Particularly interesting applications are those that help manufacturers “see” and “sense” data in their factories. Applications that “move” or “transform” objects are scarcer, and they make sense only in special cases in very large manufacturing facilities.
The application of drones in manufacturing is in its infancy, but is foreseen to grow rapidly over the next decade. This paper presents the first academically rigorous analysis of potential applications of drones in manufacturing. An original and theory-informed typology for drone applications is a timely contribution to the nascent literature. The research agenda presented assists the establishment of a new stream of literature on drones in manufacturing.
Từ khóa
Tài liệu tham khảo
Banker, S. (2016), “Drones and robots in the warehouse”, Forbes, available at: www.forbes.com/sites/stevebanker/2016/06/24/drones-and-robots-in-the-warehouse/#d98e20c6c3b2 (accessed November 11, 2018).
2011, Qualitative case studies in operations management: trends, research outcomes, and future research implications, Journal of Operations Management, 29, 329, 10.1016/j.jom.2010.06.002
2018, Drohneneinsatz in der digitalen Fabrikplanung, Zeitschrift für wirtschaftlichen Fabrikbetrieb, 113, 596, 10.3139/104.111978
1994, Towards total integrated manufacturing, International Journal of Production Economics, 34, 237, 10.1016/0925-5273(94)90155-4
Bogner, A. and Menz, W. (2009), “The theory-generating expert interview: epistemological interest, forms of knowledge, interaction”, in Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (Eds), Interviewing Experts, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 43-80.
Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (2009), “Introduction: expert interviews: an introduction to a new methodological debate”, in Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (Eds), Interviewing Experts, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 1-13.
2016, AMT adoption and innovation: an investigation of dynamic and complementary effects, Technovation, 55, 42
1999, Evolutionary patterns of flexible automation and performance: a longitudinal study, Management Science, 45, 824, 10.1287/mnsc.45.6.824
1997, Unlocking the potential of advanced manufacturing technologies, Journal of Operations Management, 15, 331, 10.1016/S0272-6963(97)00009-0
2006, Using thematic analysis in psychology, Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77, 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
2015, Business Research Methods
2007, Real-time routing selection for automated guided vehicles in a flexible manufacturing system, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 18, 169, 10.1108/17410380710722881
2000, Advanced manufacturing technologies and strategically flexible production, Journal of Operations Management, 18, 169, 10.1016/S0272-6963(99)00022-4
2018, Shell CIO to begin testing AI-enabled drones at Houston plant, The Wall Street Journal
Christmann, G.B. (2009), “Expert interviews on the telephone: a difficult undertaking”, in Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (Eds), Interviewing Experts, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 157-183.
1996, Human issues influencing the successful implementation of advanced manufacturing technology, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 13, 283
2009, Patterns of advanced manufacturing technology utilization and manufacturing capabilities, Production and Operations Management, 18, 533, 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2009.01027.x
1992, Advanced manufacturing technology and organization structure: empowerment or subordination?, Organization Science, 3, 203, 10.1287/orsc.3.2.203
2018, Car parts maker ZF is using drones to deliver components to its factories, Designtechnica Corporation
2017, Implementation of rapid manufacturing for mass customisation, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 28, 95, 10.1108/JMTM-01-2016-0007
1993, Manufacturing managers and the adoption of advanced manufacturing technology, Omega, 21, 155, 10.1016/0305-0483(93)90048-P
1994, Typologies as a unique form of theory building: toward improved understanding and modeling, Academy of Management Review, 19, 230, 10.5465/amr.1994.9410210748
1989, Building theories from case study research, Academy of Management Review, 14, 532, 10.5465/amr.1989.4308385
2014, An Introduction to Qualitative Research
2015, Science, technology and the future of small autonomous drones, Nature, 521, 460, 10.1038/nature14542
2010, The importance of information and communication design for manual skills instruction with augmented reality, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 21, 188, 10.1108/17410381011014369
2019, Industry 4.0 technologies: implementation patterns in manufacturing companies, International Journal of Production Economics, 210, 15, 10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.01.004
Froschauer, U. and Lueger, M. (2009), “Expert interviews in interpretive organizational research”, in Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (Eds), Interviewing Experts, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 217-234.
2013, Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: notes on the Gioia methodology, Organizational Research Methods, 16, 15, 10.1177/1094428112452151
Goldman Sachs, 2016, Drones: reporting for work, Goldman Sachs Research
2008, Advanced manufacturing technology adoption: an integrated approach, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 20, 74, 10.1108/17410380910925415
2018, Combination of cloud manufacturing and 3D printing: research progress and prospect, The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 96, 1929, 10.1007/s00170-018-1717-3
Hatt, K. (2018), “Ford is turning to drones to keep human workers safe in the UK”, available at: www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-dagenham-plant-drone-safety/ (accessed November 17, 2018).
2011, How to improve the use of industrial robots in lean manufacturing systems, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 22, 891, 10.1108/17410381111160951
2017, Inventory control drones: business potential and best practices, Verein Netzwerk Logistik Shweiz, 2017, 24
1992, Managing risk in advanced manufacturing technology, California Management Review, 34, 112, 10.2307/41166706
2000, An empirical taxonomy of advanced manufacturing technology, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 20, 1446, 10.1108/01443570010353103
2016, Research Methods for Operations Management
2014, Renaissance of case research as a scientific method, Journal of Operations Management, 32, 232, 10.1016/j.jom.2014.03.004
2018, When technology gets ahead of society, Harvard Business Review, 96, 86
2007, Innovation-supportive culture: the impact of organizational values on process innovation, Journal of Operations Management, 25, 871, 10.1016/j.jom.2006.08.003
2016, A system of UAV application in indoor environment, Production & Manufacturing Research, 4, 2, 10.1080/21693277.2016.1195304
2018, Scheduling unmanned aerial vehicle and automated guided vehicle operations in an indoor manufacturing environment using differential evolution-fused particle swarm optimization, International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 15, 1
2018, Task scheduling system for UAV operations in indoor environment, Neural Computing and Applications, 31, 1
1991, Strategy, manufacturing structure, and advanced manufacturing technologies – a propsoed framework, Academy of Management Proceedings, 1991, 293, 10.5465/ambpp.1991.4977123
2000, Strategy, advanced manufacturing technology and performance: empirical evidence from US manufacturing firms, Journal of Operations Management, 18, 257, 10.1016/S0272-6963(99)00025-X
2012, Opportunities and challenges with autonomous micro aerial vehicles, The International Journal of Robotics Research, 31, 1279, 10.1177/0278364912455954
1989, Effects of technical experience on robot implementations, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 9, 5, 10.1108/EUM0000000001249
2018, Exploring the potential applications of drones in the petrochemical industry
Margaritoff, M. (2018), “Pilsner Urquell used Flyability’s Elios drone to inspect beer bottling plant”, available at: www.thedrive.com/tech/22128/pilsner-urquell-used-flyabilitys-elios-drone-to-inspect-beer-bottling-plant (accessed January 17, 2019).
2016, Clarity from above, PwC Polska Sp. z o.o
2018, Dreidimensionale Fabrikplanung durch Drohneneinsatz, Zeitschrift für wirtschaftlichen Fabrikbetrieb, 113, 267, 10.3139/104.111906
1987, The strategic advantages of new manufacturing technologies for small firms, Strategic Management Journal, 8, 249, 10.1002/smj.4250080304
1998, Building operations management theory through case and field research, Journal of Operations Management, 16, 441, 10.1016/S0272-6963(98)00023-0
1986, Justification techniques for advanced manufacturing technologies, International Journal of Production Research, 24, 1043, 10.1080/00207548608919787
Meuser, M. and Nagel, U. (2009), “The expert interview and changes in knowledge production”, in Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (Eds), Interviewing Experts, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 17-42.
2014, Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook
1996, Configurations revisited, Strategic Management Journal, 17, 505, 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199607)17:7<505::AID-SMJ852>3.0.CO;2-I
2018, Die Blutproben aus dem Zürcher Universitätsspital gelangen jetzt per Drohne ins Labor, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Opray, M. (2016), “Revealed: Rio Tinto’s plan to use drones to monitor workers’ private lives”, The Guardian, available at: www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/08/revealedrio-tinto-surveillance-station-plans-to-use-drones-to-monitors-staffs-private-lives (accessed May 2, 2017).
2000, Effects of operational employee skills on advanced manufacturing technology performance, Production and Operations Management, 9, 222, 10.1111/j.1937-5956.2000.tb00135.x
Panetta, K. (2018), “5 trends emerge in the Gartner hype cycle for emerging technologies”, Gartner, available at: www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/5-trends-emerge-in-gartner-hype-cycle-for-emerging-technologies-2018/ (accessed November 13, 2018).
2015, Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods
2009, Selecting manufacturing business practices for maximum competitive advantage, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 21, 100, 10.1108/17410381011011506
Pfadenhauer, M. (2009), “At eye level: the expert interview: a talk between expert and quasi-expert”, in Bogner, A., Littig, B. and Menz, W. (Eds), Interviewing Experts, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 81-97.
2017, Institutional complexity in turbulent times: formalization, collaboration, and the emergence of blended logics, Academy of Management Journal, 60, 1253, 10.5465/amj.2015.0394
2007, Planning, justifying and installing advanced manufacturing technology: a managerial framework, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 18, 513, 10.1108/17410380710752635
1997, Advanced manufacturing technology: implementation policy and performance, Journal of Operations Management, 15, 349, 10.1016/S0272-6963(97)00013-2
2006, Adoption framework for advanced manufacturing technologies, International Journal of Production Research, 44, 5225, 10.1080/00207540600558320
1996, Assessing AMT implementations: an empirical field study, Technovation, 16, 377, 10.1016/0166-4972(96)00045-4
2016, Consumer additive manufacturing or 3D printing adoption: an exploratory study, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 27, 990, 10.1108/JMTM-01-2016-0002
2017, The additive manufacturing innovation: a range of implications, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 28, 122, 10.1108/JMTM-06-2016-0081
Stewart, H. (2015), “Robot revolution: rise of ‘thinking’ machines could exacerbate inequality”, The Guardian, available at: www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/nov/05/robot-revolution-rise-machines-could-displace-third-of-uk-jobs (accessed August 17, 2018).
1990, Basics of Qualitative Research
2000, Current and future patterns of using advanced manufacturing technologies, Technovation, 20, 631, 10.1016/S0166-4972(00)00007-9
2007, Capturing the competitive advantages of AMT: design–manufacturing integration as a complementary asset, Journal of Operations Management, 25, 736, 10.1016/j.jom.2006.07.001
The Economist (2017), “Taking flight”, available at: www.economist.com/technology-quarterly/2017-06-08/civilian-drones (accessed November 13, 2018).
1996, Advanced manufacturing technologies: determinants of implementation success, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 16, 6, 10.1108/01443579610151733
2005, Management research as a design science: articulating the research products of mode 2 knowledge production in management, British Journal of Management, 16, 19, 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00437.x
1987, People policies for new machines, Harvard Business Review, 65, 98
2015, Cloud-based design and manufacturing: a new paradigm in digital manufacturing and design innovation, Computer-Aided Design, 59, 1, 10.1016/j.cad.2014.07.006
1992, Gaining advanced manufacturing technologies’ benefits: the roles of organization design and culture, Academy of Management Review, 17, 701, 10.5465/amr.1992.4279062
ZF Friedrichshafen AG (2018), “ZF is first in Germany to fly drones over plant premises”, available at: https://press.zf.com/press/en/releases/release_3006.html (accessed December 16, 2018).