Automation Decisions in Manufacturing System Development Projects: The Wood Products Industry Perspective

The implementation of automated solutions in manufacturing commonly involves substantial investments in terms of both human and financial resources, and it exposes the firms to the risk of substantial losses if the expected benefits fail to materialize. It is therefore important that decisions related to automated solutions are well supported. The maturity level differs across industry sectors, and the wood products industry is lagging behind in some respects. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential challenges the wood products industry is facing related to automation decisions when designing manufacturing systems and suggest strategies that can support such decisions, with inspiration from another industrial sector. A multiple case study was conducted, involving a development project carried out in the wood products industry and another in the presumably more mature automotive industry. Automation decisions were studied in the different phases prior to the implementation of the physical manufacturing system. The findings showed both similarities and differences between the development projects. For example, in both development projects, it was decided to reach out to automation suppliers for automation technology acquisition. However, the decision on to which degree to collaborate with the automation suppliers differed. Based on the similarities and differences pointed out, ideas were put forward that might support the wood products industry.