Serious Thinking
Adoption process of advanced production technologies
by Ana Simões*
My name is Ana Simões. I’m a senior researcher at INESC TEC for about a year and a half. After accepting the invitation from Catarina Carvalho of SCOM to write a small text for this section and after some consideration, I decided to share with you my work as a researcher at CESE.
Under my duties at CESE, I’ve been mostly busy with the DM4Manufacturing project in a task related to the human-robot interaction. My participation in this project allows CESE to explore a research area that goes beyond the development of advanced technologies. The adoption of advanced technologies by companies is a complex process and has an impact in several aspects of their management. The factors that affect the decision of adopting a technology, the planning and management of the process of adoption and implementation of technologies, the development of technologies that take into consideration aspects related to the well-being of the operator, the assessment of the social impacts of the adoption of technologies, among others, are topics that must be explored in empirical studies in order to enhance the benefits derived from the adoption of advanced production technologies. These are research topics of major interest to CESE and to companies, since they complement the current focus of CESE in the development of technologies,thereby increasing the added value for both sides. These are some of the research lines that I’m currently exploring within the framework of my research at CESE.
Another activity in which I’ve been participating is the establishment of INESC TEC's iiLab (Industry and Innovation Laboratory). This task force, which is composed of two elements from CESE and two elements from CRIIS, is responsible for performing the more operational activities in the phase of establishing the lab. This lab, which originated from a common desire of CRIIS and CESE, aims at creating a space of applied research and of dissemination of technologies and knowledge developed in these two centres. With this lab, it is intended to demonstrate the concepts and the advanced technologies in the areas of robotics, automation, industrial cyber-physical systems (Internet of things, “IoT”) in the form of a show-room, to disseminate INESC TEC’s expertise for the industry and the community in general. It’s also an experimentation and prototyping space for technological companies, where training is also expected for senior managers and senior executives of industrial companies. In a couple of weeks, in a date to be announced, all INESC TEC’s collaborators will have the opportunity to become better acquainted with this space.
I also spent my time guiding Master’s students from FEUP and FEP, a task that motivates me greatly because it allows me to have a connection with the academia. At the moment, I guide three students from these two institutions in collaboration with a colleague from CITE. Their Master's theses are, in a way, related to my areas of interest, namely the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and its impact in the companies.
On a very general level, this has been my work at CESE. One aspect that I would like to highlight in my short experience of working in this institution is the opportunity of interacting and exchanging experiences and knowledge with colleagues from CESE and from other INESC TEC’s centres, which enriches me as a researcher and as a person.
* Collaborator of the Centre for Enterprise Systems Engineering (CESE)
