Drives & Controls Magazine February 2023

32 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING February 2023 www.drivesncontrols.com Unlocking the potential of robotics and automation A cross the industrial world, companies are betting big on robotics and automation. McKinsey’s 2022 Global Industrial Robotics Survey reveals that, for many, automated systems will account for 25% of their capital spending over the coming five years. The 65 industrial executives quizzed for the survey expect to see benefits in terms of output quality, efficiency and uptime. However, many remain wary of the challenge, with the cost of hardware and a lack of internal experience being at the top of their list of concerns. The sector set to be the biggest spender on automation over the next five years is retail and consumer goods, where 23% of respondents are planning to spent more than $500m on new production technologies. This compares with 15% in the food and beverage sector, and 8% in automotive. For logistics and fulfilment players, automation will represent 30% or more of their capital spending over the next five years – the highest proportion among the industrial segments surveyed. With billions of dollars expected to be spent on automation in the coming years, manufacturers need to ensure that they get their implementation right. According to the survey, many find the prospect daunting, and this offers a market-winning opportunity for technology providers. The most successful providers will be those that can help industrial companies to overcome challenges – including those related to technology selection, implementation planning, and acquiring the skill set for rollout on a larger scale. Some aspects of productive activity are more amenable to automation than others, with routine tasks being at the head of the queue. Activities such as picking, packing, sorting, movement from point to point, and quality assurance, are already automated to some extent, and will continue to see heavy investment over the coming years. Conversely, activities such as assembly, stamping, surface treatment and welding, all of which require high levels of human input, The management consultancy McKinsey & Co has conducted a survey of senior leaders and executives in key industrial sectors about their attitudes to robotics and automation. In this article, McKinsey consultants Femi Ajewole, Ani Kelkar, Dylan Moore, Emily Shao and Manju Thirtha reveal that while manufacturers are set to spend heavily on robotics and automation, they will need help to complete the journey. Fig 1: Key uses for automation in industrial companies (likelihood of adoption in per cent) Source: McKinsey Global Industrial Robotics Survey