Encouraging uptake

IN MY first piece for CDA I have to say that I am delighted and honoured to have been elected by my peers for the post of chairperson at the British Automation and Robotics Association (BARA). I have sat on the committee for the past three years as a general member representative and have seen quite a change in how the organisation is supported by the rebranded PPMA Group, which is now Automate UK, under the steady helm of Peter Williamson. I think the passion and ambition Peter imparts to the three trade organisations under the Automate UK banner – the Processing & Packaging Machineries Association (PPMA); the British Automation & Robotics Association (BARA); the UK Industrial Vision Association (UKIVA) – is very exciting, and positive for the industry.

My ambition within the role is to strategically align and deliver value to the membership and all the other stakeholders that the association supports. The new support structure put in place by Automate UK helps dramatically, and we have already taken big steps in the past two years with the delivery of the Automation UK tradeshow, which has gone from strength to strength and will again grow next year.

Common value

When we think about the value a trade organisation can deliver for its members it is sometimes difficult to appease everyone. We count large OEMs, small SMEs, dealers and equipment suppliers, among our members, in addition to education, and Catapult engagement entities. With such a broad selection of those engaging with UK manufacturers in different ways, I hope we can unite those parties through the association and find common value in the way we all work to increase the adoption of robotics and automation in UK manufacturing.

A common thread in most discussions I have with my customers, and within the panel discussions I engage in for Automate UK is the fact that the UK falls some way behind our competition in Europe, and globally, in terms of the number of robots adopted into manufacturing processes. Currently, we sit in the top 12 nations globally for manufacturing output (MAKE UK), but down at 23rd for robotics density within manufacturing (IFR, 2024).

There are many reasons for this disparity but I hope to see, that while we are behind the curve now, UK manufacturers soon looking to capitalise on the benefits automation and robotics will give them. Higher productivity, higher quality, and supporting workforce challenges are some that I am sure will drive growth over the coming years.

I hope that by strategically supporting our members and becoming more visible to those manufacturers looking for the knowledge and best practice to improve their production, we can help. There are going to be many ways we can do that, and in future submissions to CDA I’ll look to outline those in more detail. Whether it be business case development, de-risking methods, workforce upskilling or finding a supplier, I’ll try and cover it!

www.automate-uk.com/our-associations/bara/