Speeding up adoption of industrial automation and robotics can lead to dramatic improvements in productivity, according to a report from the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre and the Industrial Policy Research Centre at Loughborough University.
The report, “Robotics and Automation: A New Perspective”, says that the slow uptake of robotics among British manufacturers and a reluctance to invest in automation have contributed to the UK’s vanishingly small improvements in productivity in recent years.The report says however that investment in automation along with reshoring manufacturing operation can lead to new opportunities for UK businesses.
The report calls for a renewed emphasis on the need to improve productivity through the use of automation, with manufacturers, research organisations, equipment suppliers and Government working together to help businesses improve their performance through the intelligent use of automation. The report also stresses the importance of independent advice to new users, particularly in the SME supply chain.
Mike Wilson, the MTC’s chief automation officer, said that the pandemic had exposed weaknesses in the UK’s extended supply chains leading to a recognition that there was a need to increase the resilience of UK manufacturing by increasing local content and reshoring production capacity. He said, “A significant expansion of manufacturing capability cannot be achieved using the current methodologies. The ‘Made Smarter Review’ identified that the application of automation and robotics in UK industry could contribute £183.6 billion over the next decade. The solutions are available and proven. The challenge in the UK is adoption, and also the education of the finance community so they understand and support investment.”
The report calls for more support for UK businesses to help them with adoption at every stage, from identifying opportunities, getting workforce buy-in, selecting suppliers, ensuring they have the right skills, and implementing solutions. It also calls for knowledge-sharing across industry and the automation supply chain in order to develop, demonstrate, test and de-risk affordable and deployable automation, targeting those UK manufacturers who have under-invested in the past.
The report calls for emphasis on SMEs to adopt automation and robotics technology, and also recommends stronger networks for robots and automation to encourage more cooperation and communication, to share knowledge and expertise, and to represent the sector to other parties, including Government.
Professor Chris White of the Industrial Policy Research Centre said:“The future of work, and for that matter, the future of manufacturing, is about to change dramatically. Its culture can no longer be described as ‘dirty, dangerous and dull’, but one that is clean, safe and as exciting as our imagination will allow.”
Contact: automation@the-mtc.org.