How Do Industrial Robots Affect the Total Factor Productivity in Manufacturing Enterprises?

Yingjie Xu (), Bingchao Zheng () and Baojie Guo ()
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Yingjie Xu: University of Jinan
Bingchao Zheng: University of Jinan
Baojie Guo: Shandong University of Political Science and Law

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2025, vol. 16, issue 4, No 9, 14057-14093

Abstract: Abstract Industrial robots are widely regarded as the potential driving force for influencing total factor productivity in manufacturing enterprises, yet existing research has not fully explored their mechanisms at the micro level. Using data of listed companies from 2011 to 2019, this paper systematically investigates the impact of industrial robots on the total factor productivity in manufacturing enterprises. The results demonstrate that the application of industrial robots significantly enhances the total factor productivity in manufacturing enterprises. The conclusion remains valid after robustness tests and addressing the endogenous problems. Moreover, this paper identifies the long-term effects of industrial robots on enhancing total factor productivity. Further mechanism analyses indicate that the adoption of industrial robots can promote total factor productivity through increasing the number of enterprise technicians, accelerating the digital transformation, and reducing the management expense ratio. This research not only identifies three mechanisms of industrial robots on total factor productivity, but also provides important insights for manufacturing enterprises to enhance total factor productivity.

Keywords: Industrial robots; Total factor productivity; Listed companies; Manufacturing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-02508-5

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