PC-DEC21-PG04.1_Layout 1 05/01/2022 12:08 Page 4
NEWS
from this year’s Attitudes to UK Industry (ATUKI) report from Cadence Innovation Marketing. The annual report was compiled in association with GAMBICA, the
T
Trade Association for Instrumentation, Control, Automation and Laboratory Testing. It centred around the environment, diversity and digital technologies and it highlighted a chasm of opinion between manufacturing and general business across each of those themes. Neil Fullbrook, director at Cadence said: “This year we have once
again taken our snapshot poll which sought the views of the UK employed (or furloughed) public by asking a representative sample of 2000 UK adults for their opinion on a range of topics. And this time around we’ve also taken views on the same topics directly from manufacturers themselves.” ATUKI shows that just four in ten (42%) of the UK population, which
represents the wider business community, feel that their employer is on track to meet environmental targets by using digital technologies. Comparatively, eight in ten (80%) of GAMBICA members believe they are on course to meet their environmental targets by using digital technologies.
COMMENT UPCYCLING NEWS
Welcome to our first issue of 2022. As we look forward to the year ahead, it’s clear that industry will have a lot of hurdles to overcome. We will still need to deal with any ongoing issues from Brexit and Covid-19, there is still likely to be disruption to the supply chain, energy bills will rocket, and manufacturers will need to find more sustainable methods of production in line with decarbonisation and Net Zero commitments. Thankfully, existing and
emerging technologies will help processors achieve their goals and overcome some of these challenges. Digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and IIoT will continue to dominate developments, while 5G, Digital Twinning, Edge Computing, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Cobots, will all have an important role to play. We look forward to delving deeper into all of these technology areas over the coming months. Wishing all our readers a
very happy and successful new year. Michelle Lea - Editor
the types of plastics that can be recycled and can produce feedstock used to make recycled plastics with a lower carbon footprint. The new technology can reduce the need for fossil fuels in the creation of virgin plastics while enabling hundreds of cycles of recycling. Honeywell’s UpCycle Process
H
Technology utilises molecular conversion, pyrolysis, and contaminants management technology to convert waste plastic back to Honeywell Recycled Polymer Feedstock, which is then used to create new plastics. The UpCycle Process technology expands the types of plastics that can be recycled to include waste plastic that would otherwise go unrecycled. When used in conjunction with other chemical and mechanical recycling processes – and improvements to collection and sorting – this technology has the potential to increase the amount of global plastic waste that can be recycled to 90%. Recycled plastics produced
via UpCycle Process Technology can result in a 57% reduction of CO2-equivalent (CO2e) emissions compared with the production of the same amount of virgin plastic from fossil feeds.
www.honeywell.com
4 DECEMBER 2021/JANUARY 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL
oneywell has announced the commercialisation of a process that expands
MANUFACTURERS LEAD IN THE ADOPTION OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES Manufacturers come out top in diversity planning and
he UK public and UK manufacturers' views are split when it comes to whether employers are on track to meet environmental targets. This is just one of the fascinating insights
implementation too. Seven in ten manufacturers (70%) have taken steps to address the diversity in their organisation and 80% have a policy on diversity and inclusion. The wider business population reports that just under half (45%) of UK adults believe their employer has taken steps to address diversity in their organisation, with just over half stating that their company or employer has a policy on diversity and inclusion. Steve Brambley, chief executive of GAMBICA said: “"I’m delighted to
see that companies in our industry are leading in the adoption of technology, in making environmental process and improving diversity. To be honest I’m not that surprised, it is, after all, an industry of innovators and experts in technology that helps their customers be more competitive. Research shows that teams with increased diversity are more likely to be successful, so it seems logical that these are the companies taking the biggest steps to efficiency and environmental improvement – itself a means to greater competitiveness". When it comes to hybrid working, manufacturers steal the show
again. Eight in ten (80%) report that they have taken steps to provide ongoing hybrid working for employees compared to 45% in the wider business community.
www.attitudestoukindustry.co.uk OPEN HOUSE REVEALS EMERGING TRENDS F
ANUC’s recent Open House revealed a number of emerging trends that the UK manufacturing sector must embrace to deliver growth in 2022.
One of the key discussion points throughout the week was
machine connectivity, or IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things). While not a new concept, manufacturer engagement with the technology is increasing. This can be attributed to a number of factors, not least the improvements in IIoT that ensure it is both more sophisticated and user-friendly for businesses. Tom Bouchier, managing director at FANUC UK, said: “It’s all
about getting the most out of your factory, whether it is floor space and equipment, or ensuring your workforce is as productive as possible. This means automating labour-intensive, repetitive processes, and getting feedback from your machines to develop efficient, coherent processes. That’s where IIoT has a major role to play.” The other key topic to emerge from the Open House was the
potential opportunities for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). Conversations surrounding the barriers to automation repeatedly revealed that smaller manufacturing businesses stood to gain the most from implementing it into their production lines. The compact nature of the latest automation technology, combined with the availability of turnkey systems, opens it up to operations of all sizes, regardless of how automation-literate they may be. There is also the macro-trend of customisation – whereby
manufacturers are increasingly required to be flexible in their output in order to meet demands for bespoke/low-volume production runs. This positions SMEs at the heart of industry growth, and illustrates the importance of ensuring funding is available for smaller businesses to realise their potential. Bouchier continued: “... it also became clear over the course of
our Open House that there is massive room for growth amongst SMEs. The productivity gains associated with the implementation of automation – whether it’s an entire process or a more piecemeal approach – will significantly boost the outputs of a smaller manufacturing business. “It was really interesting to note that visitors to our event were
further along their automation journey than they were at our last Open House two years ago. I think UK manufacturing has started to accept that it is key to remaining competitive on the global stage, which makes it an exciting time for the industry.”
www.fanuc.eu/uk/en
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66
