INDUSTRY News SURGE IN AUTOMATION ASSESSMENTS


UK manufacturers are intensifying their search for automation solutions to boost domestic production capacity without expanding facilities or increasing headcount, according to new data from HowToRobot. The company reports a 30% year-on-year increase in automation opportunity assessments in Q1 2025, highlighting a strategic shift as manufacturers respond to trade barriers, supply chain disruptions, and persistent workforce challenges. This trend coincides with recent research showing UK companies plan to invest £650 billion in reshoring initiatives over  supply chain vulnerabilities. The surge in automation assessments comes as manufacturers  salary and National Insurance Contributions for full-time workers on the living wage increasing by 44% since 2021 according to Oxford Economics, companies are looking to make the most of their existing talent through automation.    shortages and growing costs, businesses are focusing on how their current employees can create more value through automation   The UK currently lags behind similar economies in manufacturing automation, with just 119 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees compared to the global average of 162  Robotics. This automation gap represents a substantial opportunity for productivity improvements.   assessments frequently identify automation opportunities that can increase capacity substantially without expanding physical  HowToRobot reports that manufacturers are primarily seeking automation solutions that can be implemented with minimal disruption and rapid returns. The most successful projects typically focus on supporting processes such as material handling, packaging, palletising, and quality inspection rather than completely overhauling core production.


 identify and separate the high-value, low-risk opportunities from potentially disruptive implementations, enabling manufacturers to  www.howtorobot.com


ABB COLUMN


Call the cobots - how automation is tackling skills shortages and driving productivity


Julian Ware – Sales Manager Robotics UK & Ireland – looks at how collaborative robots are helping companies meet some of today’s most intractable challenges A recent survey found that 97


percent of UK manufacturers cite the hiring and retention of skilled labour as a significant challenge, with 75 percent considering it the biggest barrier to growth.


The welding sector alone is expected to face a shortfall of 35,000 skilled professionals by 2027. Collaborative robots, or cobots, are designed with physical and control features that make it relatively straightforward to deploy them alongside human workers. This enables them to play a big role when it comes to plugging the skills gap.


 persistent productivity shortfall. Robots work around the clock without tiring and the consistency of their performance never wavers, paving the way for increased output and higher quality.  production more sustainable. Many companies around the world are already reaping the  metal fabricator Lankapaja Corporation overcome a shortage of   CNC machine tools.  cobots free up employees to focus on more complex work. 


  innovations make robots more accessible to manufacturers of all sizes. 


increasingly common sight in industrial settings across the UK. There are many benefits cobots can afford; to find out more, call


us on 01908 350300 or email robotics@gb.abb.com. Julian Ware, UK & Ireland Sales Manager – ABB Robotics


OCTOPUS ROBOT ADAPTS SUCTION TO ITS SURROUNDINGS


 a robot that can decide how to move or grip objects by sensing its environment.  and Engineering, designed a simple yet smart robot which uses  octopuses do with hundreds of suckers and multiple arms. The study, published in the journal Science Robotics, shows how


 to sense its environment and control its own actions – just like an octopus. A single suction system enables the robot to grab delicate  and even predict how hard something is pulling on it—all at once, without needing a central computer.   using soft materials and water sealing. “This research brings that work on, from using a suction cup


automationmagazine.co.uk


like an octopus sucker to connect to objects to using ‘embodied     low-level embodied intelligence, including gently grasping delicate objects, adaptive curling and encapsulating objects of unknown  cup, robots can achieve high-level perception including contact  well as prediction of interactive pulling force.


This simple and low-cost suction intelligence could lead to a new generation of soft robots that are safer, smarter and more energy-  handling fragile items in factories, anchoring medical tools inside the human body, or creating soft toys and wearable tools that can interact safely with people. www.bristol.ac.uk/science-engineering


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