June 2021

25 www.drivesncontrols.com June 2021 TALKING INDUSTRY n Maximising the opportunities of automation The fifth in the Talking Industry series of online panel discussions focussed on developments in, and issues surrounding, robotic and advanced automation technologies. Andy Pye, consultant editor of Drives & Controls , who chaired the session, reports on some of the highlights of the lively session. I t may have been the subject matter. Or it may have been the star-studded line-up of five expert industrial speakers. Or it may have been the upward trend in the numbers of people attending Talking Industry. Or it may have been all of them. But our record numbers of 491 registrations for this latest event proves without doubt the growing popularity of the Talking Industry online discussion events. One of our panellists, Professor SamTurner, chief technology officer at the HVM Catapult, set the scene with an introduction to automation strategy. He explained that the Catapult is one of a network of manufacturing innovation centres across the UK. There are seven centres, each specialising in a specific manufacturing technology, and supporting a variety of sectors. These include additive manufacturing, fabrication, machining and composites. Automation is a key enabler at the heart of the Catapult programme. The mission is to accelerate and de-risk the deployment of manufacturing systems. According to Turner, there are many reasons why the UK is well-placed to accelerate the development of automation. It has a healthy technology supply base and one of the biggest tech sectors, with more than 60 robot providers and more than 300 system integrators. Now, driven by the global Covid-19 pandemic, and with Brexit having an impact, there’s been a real surge of interest in automation, and the technology is playing a decisive role in helping companies to return to producing the same level of output as they did in the pre-Covid era. The UK has seen a 20–25% uplift in investment in industrial robots, but that is still only 10% of the investment being made in Germany, for example. With the UK being a long way behind the rest of the industrial pack, there is a huge opportunity to accelerate robotic investment and applications here. Automation drives productivity and flexibility, but it is also a way to increase robustness and repeatability in manufacturing processes. In many cases, manufacturers can migrate down to batch sizes of one. Combining industrial robotics with analytics and artificial intelligence means the nation can introduce innovations more rapidly on the shop floor. A shortage of suitable skills is sometimes seen as being a barrier but, according to Turner, it’s also an opportunity to develop the skills that will be needed for the next generation of workers, making sure they are more comfortable with digital systems and interfaces than some members of today’s workforce. “We are trying to set up demonstrators that we think address standard industry challenges,” Turner said.“There is real value in connecting a company to a like-minded one with the same problems and challenges.” Bernard Bagley, head of robot sales to general industry at Kuka UK, said that the company has“a kind of peer-to-peer system. We are a global business and are picking up stories from everywhere, to allow new users to see what other integrators and system partners have done.” He pointed out that growing numbers of companies are adopting digitalisation strategies, starting out as being completely neutral in terms of supply equipment. Kuka offers an open portal for its system partners, customers and internal employees.“We are driving everyone in this completely open direction, which anyone can access.” Damian Spall, technical sales and group marketing manager at Routeco, cited the Government’s appeal to the manufacturing sector during the initial Coronavirus spike as a recent example of clustering and sharing knowledge.“We were struggling with ventilators and the Government reached out to UK manufacturers to try and work together to provide complete medical equipment, collaborating for a common goal. “This could be replicated,”Spall believes.“We are engaging with end-users in the UK and often uncover opportunities to recommend integrators that have got certain experience in other products or technologies.” John Jackson, Cognex’s sales manager for Northern Europe, pointed out that machine vision technology has been around for a long