July August hi-res with ads

38 MACHINERY UPDATE JULY/AUGUST 2018 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Automation, robotics and vision
Robot usage in the
UK is on the up,
says Mike Wilson
There is growing
interest in the
application of
robots to many
sectors within UK
manufacturing,” says Mike Wilson,
chairman of BARA. The influence
of the automotive sector on the
total numbers purchased is still
strong but we are seeing consistent
growth in the sales to other
industry sectors. Coupled with this,
the level of interest and enquiries
from companies new to robots has
also grown significantly.
BARA collects data from the
major robot suppliers each quarter
and the result for last year produced
the third largest year on record
after the peaks of 2012 and 2013.
The use of robots in the automotive
and automotive components sectors
is always dependent on new model
introductions so what was more
interesting is that sales to all other
manufacturing sectors grew by
31% in 2017 compared to the year
before. This trend looks like it is
continuing into 2018 with the
first quarter also showing strong
robot sales results.
Robot use
is growing
EDUCATION PURCHASES
One other interesting point from
the statistics is the continuing
growth in sales to the education
sector. We are seeing an increasing
number of universities and colleges
commencing new courses covering
robotics and they are purchasing
equipment to provide training to
the students. This is a very positive
step towards addressing the skills
shortages, an issue that is a
key feature in the Made Smarter
Review 2017; the manufacturing
industries input to the emerging
Government’s Industrial Strategy.
This report proposes a Sector
Deal to assist UK manufacturing
in becoming a global leader in
industrial digitalisation by 2030.
Although it covers all forms of
digital technologies, robotics is
a key element and the analysis
demonstrates that increased
A new application
for robots has
seen them used at
Boomf for its
personalised
confectionery
adoption of automation and
robotics could contribute over
£180bn to UK manufacturing
over the next ten years.
Although the proposals of the
Made Smarter report were not
included in the Government’s
Industrial Strategy White Paper
(published in November last
year), the Chancellor has recently
announced support for the
National Digitalisation Adoption
programme with a £20 million
investment in a digitalisation
adoption pilot to be based in
the North West.
The increased adoption of
automation and robotics could
contribute £180bn to UK plc
In parallel with the Made
Smarter Review, the food and
drink sector has also been
developing its own Sector Deal
which includes the need to adopt
greater levels of automation to
address the productivity challenge.
This is also progressing with the
recent formation of a Food and
Drink Sector Council.
There is therefore increasing
awareness and support for the need
to increase the adoption of robot
automation within all sectors of
UK manufacturing. This, coupled
with the growing interest within
the actual businesses, means it
is a very interesting time to be
involved in robotics. “We have
the opportunity to fundamentally
change the productivity of
UK manufacturing to provide
a positive future,” asserts Wilson.
W www.bara.org.uk