FEATURE Robotics
A PLACE-BASED APPROACH TO ROBOTICS
Mike Wilson, Chief Automation Officer at Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), explains why place matters, and how the UK’s robotics future will be built from regional strengths
T
he UK has the research, engineering and innovation expertise to be a global force in robotics. But converting that
capability into widespread industrial adoption remains a significant challenge. The UK Robotics Growth Partnership’s Smart Machine Strategy 20351
sets out an ambitious
direction, with the goal of establishing the UK as a leader in robotics and smart machines over the next decade. Delivering on that ambition will depend on getting robotics out of the lab and into businesses at scale. Despite rising interest and investment in automation – with 60% of UK manufacturers increasing spending on digital technologies and automation in 20262
– adoption levels
across UK manufacturing remain uneven. According to recent insight from Make UK, the UK currently operates around 112 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers, significantly below the European Union average of 208 per 10,000 and well behind leading adopters globally3
.
This imbalance highlights a structural gap: the UK is developing innovative robotics technologies but integration, validation and scale-up into live production environments are not keeping pace. The UK already has many of the ingredients needed to address this, but the opportunity lies in connecting them more effectively to create regional clusters where industry, research and investment come together to accelerate adoption and growth. For manufacturers, particularly SMEs, the journey towards robotics adoption is rarely straightforward. Investment can be significant and new systems need to work reliably within existing production environments. Robotics developers, meanwhile, need exposure to real-world manufacturing challenges if their solutions are to translate successfully into practical applications. The West Midlands offers a useful example of what a place-based approach can look like in practice. Its longstanding manufacturing
30 September 2026 | Automation
and engineering base sits alongside research expertise, innovation and established supply chains, creating an environment where robotics can be developed around real industrial needs. That proximity can help bridge the gap between innovation and adoption, with closer feedback from potential users and clearer routes into industry. The new Robot Experience Centre at the MTC, opened this year, provides an environment where manufacturers can explore and validate robotics technology and better understand how it could work within their operations. These connections can help reduce the gap between developing technology and understanding where it can deliver value. More importantly, they demonstrate the potential of building robotics capability around industrial strengths that already exist. As the West Midlands demonstrates,
different regions across the UK have developed distinct industrial expertise, specialist skills and supply chains. These have been built over decades and provide a foundation on which emerging robotics capabilities can develop. The opportunity is not to recreate the same model across the country, but to build robotics expertise around what different places already do well. The Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan4
, published in
2025, highlights the breadth of this. South Yorkshire has developed an advanced manufacturing cluster, Scotland combines manufacturing innovation with emerging clean-energy technologies, while Northern Ireland is building its capabilities through the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. Robotics expertise also extends across the UK, with the Smart Machines Strategy 20355
identifying established centres in
Bristol, Edinburgh, Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham, alongside applications spanning manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, energy and infrastructure.
This geographic diversity can be an advantage, with different industrial environments creating distinct demands for robotics. This gives developers access to sector- specific challenges and potential customers, while giving established industries greater exposure to emerging technologies. Developing complementary capabilities around these existing strengths can therefore help to make the most of these regional differences. Regional expertise alone, however, will not guarantee success. Long term investment in skills, infrastructure and routes to commercial adoption will be critical to developing sustainable robotics ecosystems. The UK’s robotics ambition is national, but the capabilities required to deliver it are distributed across the country and the next step is to connect them more effectively. Government and regional leaders need to maintain investment in the conditions for growth, while industry must shape, test and adopt technologies around real-world demand. 1.
https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/smart-machines-strategy-2035 2.
https://www.pwc.co.uk/industries/ manufacturing/insights/make-uk-executive-
survey.html 3.
https://www.makeuk.org/insights/reports/ making-it-smarter-global-lessons-accelerating- automation-digital-adoption-uk 4.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ advanced-manufacturing-sector-plan 5.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ smart-machines-strategy-2035
MTC
www.the-mtc.org
automationmagazine.co.uk
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