Internal Determinants in the Field of RPA Technology Implementation on the Example of Selected Companies in the Context of Industry 4.0 Assumptions

Abstract

As part of the assumptions of Industry 4.0. many modern technologies are developing. One of them is robotic process automation (RPA). It allows the replacement of human labor with robots, thus increasing the production capacity of enterprises. In practice, the implementation of RPA takes place through two solutions (models): using the services of an external entity offering RPA (service insourcing) or creating your own center of excellence (CoE). The use of both solutions is influenced by numerous conditions (determinants), among which we can mention benefits on the one hand and threats on the other. They are very different and depend on the model used. In this article, attempts were made to identify and determine their impact on the selection of the appropriate model from the point of view of the company (the purpose of the article). The research used two cases of entities implementing RPA on the basis of opposites, i.e., two different models, in which the discussed technology is treated as an important element of their automation. The achieved results indicate that there is no universalism, and their dominant feature is individualism concerning both enterprises and the solutions they implement. This is undoubtedly the effect of the currently too shallow RPA market, as well as the small number of entities using technologies based on intelligent systems. This is a serious research gap, which along with RPA growth will be reduced as a result of more and more intensive research in this field.