Economic Aspects of Automation

The increasing diffusion of automation in all sectors of the industrial world gives rise to a deep modification of labour organisation and requires a new approach to evaluate industrial systems efficiency, effectiveness and economic convenience. Till now, the evaluation tools and methods at disposal of industrial managers are rare and even complex. Easy-to-use criteria, possibly based on robust but simple models and concepts, appear to be necessary. This chapter gives an overview of concepts, based on the economic theory but revised in the light of industrial practice, which can be applied for evaluating the impact and effects of the automation diffusion in the enterprises.