The use of robots helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Spain in the manufacturing sector become more productive. Productivity improves notably in businesses that are less innovative and have fewer workers, researchers from the UOC’s Faculty of Economics and Business (Barcelona, Spain) and the Department of Economics, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (Venice, Italy) explained.
The researchers also found that despite boosting manufacturers’ productivity, using robots does not translate into increased exports. SMEs are more likely to be successful exporters if they are located in areas with many businesses in the same or related industries.
The study has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the Knowledge Economy (citation below). The authors say that their study is the first to analyze the impact that robotic technologies have on SMEs. In this context, SMEs refer to manufacturers with a workforce of between 10 and 200 employees. SMEs represent a major part of Spain’s economy and, in fact, of most advanced economies.
Study co-author, Carles Méndez, a member of the Interdisciplinary Research Group on ICT (i2TIC-IA Lab), affiliated to the UOC-DIGIT centre, said:
“The smaller the firm, the greater the increase in productivity when robots are introduced. However, in firms with more workers, the increase is not so significant.”
Apart from the size of the manufacturer, the study also shows that the degree of innovation in companies is a key factor.
Mendez added:
“Although robots have a positive impact in all cases, in more innovative companies adopting this technology does not lead to such a major change.”
Why Robots Alone Don’t Increase SME Exports
The research team gathered and analyzed information on almost 5,000 manufacturers during a period of nearly three decades—1990 to 2016. They used one of the most comprehensive databases on manufacturing businesses in Spain, compiled by the SEPI Foundation. They focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, which employ over half of Spain’s workers.
Study co-author Professor Joan Torrent, director of UOC-DIGIT, said:
“Camp de Tarragona and industrial companies have better quality jobs and are better paid. It has been shown to be a sector with a future, generating quality employment, compared to others such as tourism or services.”
While robots did not have a significant effect on export capacity, where the manufacturer was located did. If the firm was in an area where many businesses from the same or related sectors were also located, it was more likely to succeed in international markets.
Méndez said:
“We found a significant positive relationship between the presence of firms in the same sector or related sectors in the province that we were analysing and the export capacity of SMEs.”
Citation:
Cattaruzzo, S., Méndez-Ortega, C., & Torrent-Sellens, J. (2026). Robotic automation, productivity and exports in manufacturing SMEs. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-026-03261-7
