Benjamin Kraft

"The Role of Relational Agents in Regional Economic Evolution and Resilience: The Case of Robotics Systems Integrators"

The Examiners Are:

Dr. Nancey Green Leigh, Chairperson

Dr. Subhrajit Guhathakurta

Dr. Jan Youtie, Ivan Allen College

Faculty and students are invited to attend this examination.

Abstract:

This dissertation is a case study of a set of engineering consultants and service providers called robotics systems integrators that will explore pathways through which regional manufacturing economies in the US adapt and evolve.

Robotics systems integrators apply robotics technology to manufacturing problems. To be successful, they must have broad sets of competencies, ranging from traditional machine tools and manual production processes to emerging machine vision and sensing technologies. While integrators are geographically clustered in US regions that have traditionally specialized in manufacturing, it is unclear whether or how these firms affect their respective industrial clusters’ adaptive capacities.

Through the emerging perspective of Evolutionary Economic Geography, which approaches regional economic development as (loosely) analogous to the evolution of biological ecosystems, this dissertation will construct a case study of robotics systems integrators. Semi-structured interviews and an industry-wide survey are aimed at determining integrators’ roles in global robotics supply chains and regional economic development.