Increase automation, increase productivity

It's no secret that one way to achieve this is through increased levels of automation – something that was highlighted by Mike Wilson, chief automation officer at the MTC, at a recent industry event. As Wilson pointed out, if the UK were to increase its adoption of automation to that of some of its major competitors, productivity would be improved by 20%; and is this something, asserted Wilson, that is increasingly being recognised within government. In fact, it is estimated in some quarters that if the productivity of the lowest achieving SMEs could be improved to levels similar to the top 25, it could be worth around £270 billion to the UK economy.

In order to help achieve these goals, the MTC and The University of Birmingham founded the West Midlands RAS Cluster, a collaborative group comprising industry, suppliers, academic institutions, and local authorities to accelerate the adoption of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS). The organisation has carried out extensive research, part of which identified barriers to automation. Overall, the biggest factor putting businesses off automation tended to be the high initial investment costs involved. Other challenges highlighted included integrating new equipment with legacy systems and a lack of skilled personnel, along with a myriad of factors such as concerns about reliability, return on investment, impact on workforce and compliance issues.

In addition to raising awareness of the benefits of RAS technology and addressing barriers to its adoption, the Cluster aims to ensure that the supply side is developed to deliver what UK industry needs, something which, said Wilson, could hopefully be developed to see such UK technologies exported overseas.

If you are interested in finding out more about any of these issues, the MTC is hosting Robotics and Automation 2025: Powering Your Future in June, which will feature insights from the West Midlands RAS Cluster on best practices, innovation opportunities and collaborations. The event will include a keynote address from Dr Bernd Liepert, president of euRobotics AISBL – the European Robotics Association, about the opportunities for UK to forge a bigger robotics market with Europe. The Rt Hon Greg Clark - Chair of the Warwick Manufacturing Group and a member of the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, which contributes to the development and long-term delivery of HM Government’s industrial strategy, will also be delivering a talk to attendees. To find out more visit : www.the-mtc.org/robotics-and-automation-2025