Energy uncertainty continues

THE WEEK the government has announced a new Energy Bills Discount Scheme, ahead of the current scheme ending in March. The new scheme will mean all eligible UK businesses and other non-domestic energy users will receive a discount on high energy bills until 31 March 2024.

Automation is key to reshoring

George Thompson, chairman of the British Automation and Robotics Association (BARA) looks at the environmental case for reshoring, and how automation can be a key enabler

The perennial productivity puzzle

As I have recently discovered, one of the great things about being the editor of a bi-monthly magazine, means that one issue cycle can encompass three different UK Prime Ministers.

We need to automate more!

Chairman of the British Automation and Robotics Association (BARA), George Thompson looks at how the UK needs increased levels of automation to be more competitive on the world stage

Bracing for a bleak winter

By the time you read this, there will be a new Prime Minister in the UK. No matter if it’s Sunk or Truss who takes the helm, perhaps their biggest challenge will be the energy crisis which, while worldwide, does seem to be affecting the UK, at least in terms of costs, rather more severely than many economically comparable nations.

Have you started your net zero journey?

IF YOU haven’t already realised, it is becoming increasingly clear that if global warming is to be kept to a point that avoids catastrophic events, drastic and immediate action needs to be taken across all sectors.

...and along comes the next challenge

WELL, they say things come in threes and with the pandemic, Brexit and now war in Europe, we certainly seem to have the holy trinity of all challenges, not just for the industrial sector, but for society at a whole.

Automation & sustainability go hand in hand

George Thompson, chairman of the British Automation and Robotics Association (BARA), looks at how automation can bring key benefits in the drive for sustainability

CDA celebrates 10 years

This year Controls, Drives & Automation celebrates its 10th Anniversary. They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and I think that this must be true as it certainly doesn’t feel as if ten years have passed since I was brought on board to edit the first issue!

There's more to automation than robots

In the first of his new regular columns for Controls, Drives & Automation, the recently appointed chairman of the British Automation and Robotics Association (BARA), George Thompson looks at industrial automation beyond robots, and the importance of integrator knowledge