FEATURE Robotics


AUTOMATION IS AN ENABLER OF GROWTH


Growing energy and labour costs and a shortage of skilled labour make automation necessary for the UK’s metal manufacturers. Platforms such as HowToRobot can accelerate the process of 


T


he UK expects 50% of its welders to retire by 2027, creating over 35,000 job vacancies that the 


Meanwhile, costs are spiralling – from energy bills 50% higher than European competitors   For metal fabricators, these pressures are   “Labour shortages and rising labour


costs are having a very real impact on the competitiveness of the UK aluminium industry, and fabricators are particularly exposed,” said Nadine Bloxsome, CEO of the Aluminium Federation (ALFED), adding: “Across our membership, we’re seeing


 of the production and fabrication process,  


 and minimum wage rises mean a 44% cost    spiral as competition for scarce welders and   aluminium producers and processors face industrial electricity costs up to 50% higher than European counterparts, according to ALFED, directly limiting their ability to invest 


“Automation is absolutely central


to addressing many of these structural challenges, particularly when it comes to   While robot adoption has been modest among UK metal manufacturers until now,  With just 119 robots per 10,000 manufacturing   Federation of Robotics, there’s substantial  discovering how robots and automation can


8 July/August 2025 | Automation


 capacity and productivity while lowering costs  The transformation potential is clear from   the company now operates three welding robots and has more than doubled its business   time reductions while maintaining consistency  “We’re seeing a big automation potential in fabrication that, until recently, was only   Søren Peters, Co-CEO of HowToRobot, whose impartial experts often conduct fabrication   “The good business cases are there, and the    Today’s robotic systems can handle everything from CNC machine tending to  polishing, material handling, inspection,   variations that previously made automation  


 biggest barrier is often not interest or ambition, 


 accessing the right support to implement it  There are, however, many opportunities available for fabricators to get help and         other manufacturers, HowToRobot has found that a structured sourcing process that  from suppliers can accelerate the process   


 an important role, helping companies understand the landscape of available technologies and how they can be tailored to    investments, leasing arrangements now allow    resilience, and low-carbon leadership in UK 


HowToRobot howtorobot.com


automationmagazine.co.uk


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