Data acquisition
Jennie Banner, operations director, overseeing customer journey at Banelec
Banelecs recent aerospace fan casing lift £500k order
Banelec’s Industry 4.0 work includes remote monitoring, live data streaming and predictive maintenance applications, reflecting the broader move towards using production data not simply to observe what has happened, but to inform what should happen next.
PwC also expects manufacturers to generate an increasing proportion of revenue from activities beyond traditional product manufacturing. Its research projects that 44 per cent of total revenue could come from outside the manufacturing of industrial and consumer products by 2030, as businesses expand into connected solutions, services and intelligent technologies. For engineering companies, that evolution is creating demand for automation infrastructure capable of supporting more flexible production, digital manufacturing, predictive maintenance and remote monitoring.
It also means that integration needs to be considered from the outset. Retrofitting new technologies into an existing production environment
Instrumentation Monthly September 2026
can involve legacy equipment, different control platforms, safety requirements and the practical constraints of keeping a working factory operational. Banelec’s integration engineers work on both new systems and existing production equipment, including projects involving PLCs, robotics and HMI systems. The company also provides relocation and integration services where existing equipment needs to be incorporated into a new or modified production environment.
Banner believes this represents a natural progression for manufacturers investing for long- term growth: “Automation cannot purely be viewed as a capital investment to reduce labour. It’s becoming part of wider business strategy. “Customers want systems that can adapt as production changes, accommodate new equipment, provide better operational information and support future expansion without rebuilding everything from scratch.”
That requirement for scalability is particularly important as manufacturers invest in technologies that
may need to remain operational for many years. The electrical control system is often the point at which different technologies ultimately meet, making its design and integration an important consideration in determining how easily a factory can adapt. Banelec’s approach is consequently not limited to standalone control panels or individual automation components. The company provides bespoke electrical control systems alongside automation, robotics, PLC and HMI programming, conveyor controls and Industry 4.0 applications, with engineering support extending from initial design through installation and commissioning. As manufacturers continue investing in digital transformation, Banelec expects electrical control engineering to become an increasingly strategic discipline rather than simply a supporting function. The PwC report reaches a similar conclusion from a broader industry perspective: the manufacturers best placed to benefit from the next wave of technology adoption will not necessarily be those buying the greatest number of new tools, but those capable of combining technology, data and interoperable systems effectively. Banner believes that principle mirrors the direction already being taken by many of Britain’s most successful manufacturers: “The businesses moving fastest aren’t necessarily buying the most technology, because they’re investing in engineering that allows everything to work together. That’s where automation delivers its biggest return, the control system becomes the foundation that connects people, processes and technology into one efficient manufacturing operation.”
As UK industry continues its drive towards smarter factories, the distinction between automation leaders and laggards is likely to become increasingly defined not by the number of machines they own, but by how intelligently those machines are connected.
For manufacturers considering that transition, the challenge is therefore becoming less about automating one more process and more about creating the control, data and integration infrastructure that allows the entire operation to evolve.
Banelec
www.banelec.com 35
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