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MACHINERY & MACHINE SAFETY
THE BEST WAY TO MANAGE OUTDATED EQUIPMENT
The UK is currently experiencing a significant downturn in manufacturing production. In fact, a very recent report has cited it as the deepest decline since the 2008 financial crisis. Here, Tom Cash, director of industrial parts supplier, Foxmere, explains how manufacturers can manage obsolescence, especially during a time the UK faces a productivity crisis.
behalf of Shire Leasing - 52 per cent of manufacturing employees said that outdated equipment regularly hindered their work. This comes as no surprise, as older machinery often lacks advanced automation, which massively slows down production processes, and maintenance becomes more frequent, leading to more downtime for repairs. That is before mentioning the costly repairs or the equipment no longer meeting current safety and quality standards, which increases the risk of errors and defects. Quite alarmingly, the limitations and potential
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consequences of old machinery become exacerbated when factored in with the UK's productivity crisis. But this does not mean that all old equipment must be ripped out and replaced, even if it has become obsolete.
uch decline can be attributed to many things. However, the role industrial equipment plays in productivity should not be overlooked, as according to a survey by Atomik - research on
THE UK PRODUCTIVITY ISSUE According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, output per hour worked was just 0.6 per cent above its pre-pandemic 2019 average in the first quarter of 2023. The UK's productivity has not made significant
progress since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it has been on a relatively weak growth path since the financial crisis, as productivity progress has not been strong enough to match the historical trend that existed for several decades prior to 2008. In sectors like manufacturing, low productivity
reduces competitiveness, increases production costs, reduces exports, slows economic expansion and potentially cuts jobs. Simply put, the implications ripple through
various facets of the economy and can be felt greatly by both businesses and workers alike.
30 JUNE 2024 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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