r drives, ntegrated ervomotor Geared DC motors s technologies Slip ring assemblies and rotary joints Planetary and spur gear units ste inte Ste rives o Motors & D epper motor elligent & in pper and se drives Serv Stepper Motors & Drives P A s Rob abs Precision resolvers, AC and DC servomotors bust incremental and olute encoders High performance, O earboxes evices eedback D Systems V Harsh industrial, vacuum UHV, cryogenic & space Vacuum and F G Our comprehensive product range S ll b h d d harsh industrial Small brushed and brushless motors, frameless torque motors Int se mo ww tegrated AC rvo and stepper otors ww.mclennan.co.uk C Small & precision stepper, brushed and brushless motors epper , y g p rated st r motors +44 (0) 1252 531444 sales@mclennan.co.uk g Challenge us to provide you ARE WE LEARNING TO LOVE ROBOTS? The cobot giant, Universal Robots, has surveyed 2,174 automation “professionals” across eight European countries, including 372 in the UK, on their attitudes to robots and automation. The results make interesting reading. Just over half of those surveyed (51%), think that robots will create more jobs than they displace by 2030. Only 22% disagree with this prediction. According to UR, this marks a distinct change with earlier surveys which reported widespread fears that robots would replace workers. Almost all (84%) of those surveyed report positive employee attitudes towards robots, with resistance reported by just 3%. UR says that this marks a turning point in how automation is perceived. It is now welcomed, rather than feared. In the UK, there is slightly more scepticism, with just 44% of those surveyed expecting robots to create more jobs than they eliminate. UR suggests that this reflects a heightened awareness of skills gaps and concerns about workforce readiness for advanced automation. Across the surveyed countries, productivity is cited as the main reason for investing in automation, with 68% of respondents ranking it among their top three drivers. Cost reduction was second most common driver (cited by 57%), followed by quality improvement (54%). In the UK, productivity is rated even higher, at 73%, with 65% citing cost reduction as being a critical motivator. Half (51%) of UK respondents expect robotics and automation to be the most transformative technology by 2030, mirroring the European figure of 48%. AI and machine learning are cited by 37% of UK contributors (and 38% in Europe). Turning specifically to cobots – UR’s main interest – 93% of those already using automation in Europe expect that at least of 10% of their staff will be working alongside cobots within a decade. And 47% anticipate that more than 25% of their employees will be doing so. 91% think that cobots can cut labour shortages by at least 10%, with 44% citing reductions of 25% or more. Of those who have already used cobots, 89% report they are achieving measurable productivity improvements, with 52% seeing increases of 10–25%, and 30% achieving a 26-50% boost. Six per cent report gains of at least 50%. In the UK, more than a quarter (27%) of those surveyed report that they are already using cobots, with a further 16% saying they are familiar with cobots but not using them yet (compared to 21% across Europe). UR says that this suggests that as UK companies become aware of cobots’ capabilities, they are more inclined to move swiftly towards adoption. More than a third of UK respondents (37%) cite initial investment costs as the main barrier to them adopting cobots more widely (compared to 29% across Europe). In the Continent, integration with existing systems is more important, cited as a challenge by 33%, compared to around a quarter in the UK. So it seems that robots – and cobots, in particular – are winning increasing numbers of converts, both on the shopfloor and at higher levels. Tony Sacks, Editor n COMMENT
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