Do Industrial Robots Improve Export Product Quality of Multi-Product Enterprises? Evidence in China

Abstract

Based on an endogenous quality selection model, we investigate the effect of industrial robots on the export product quality of China’s multi-product enterprises. The main finding is that there is a nonlinear “inverted U-shaped” relationship between industrial robot applications and export quality. Industrial robots mainly affect export quality through the “productivity improvement effect” and “innovation inhibition effect.” The influence channels exhibit heterogeneity, contingent on industries, growth stages, and import orders. We further find that the entry of new products, improvement in the quality of existing products, and reallocation of internal resources within the enterprise account for product quality change in general.