n NEWS October 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com 6 THE UK HAS climbed one place to eleventh position in the global league of manufacturing nations, according to the latest figures from the manufacturers’ association, Make UK. Last year, the UK dropped out of the top ten, plummeting from eighth position to twelfth. The figures are contained in a new edition of Make UK’s Manufacturing – The Facts publication, which reveals that that in 2023 (the latest year for which global comparisons are available), the UK’s manufacturing output was worth $279bn, putting it just behind Brazil ($290bn), which has moved back in to the top ten for the first time since 2012. China is by far the largest manufacturing nation, with an output worth $4.8 trillion, followed by the US on $2.8tn and Japan on $840bn. Germany (on $838bn) remains Europe’s biggest manufacturer by a considerable margin, and is still the world’s fourth-largest manufacturer, followed by South Korea and India – which have swapped fifth and sixth positions – and Mexico, with Italy in eighth position ($353bn) and France in ninth ($296bn). Manufacturing currently accounts for 42% of the UK’s exports, 48% of its business R&D, and 17% of its business investment. The statistics also reveal that the average salary in the UK manufacturing sector rose by 7% in 2024 to £41,220 – compared to an average of £38,224 across the economy as a whole, and £37,559 in the services sector. The US remains the UK’s largest export market, and was worth £59.3bn in 2024. Germany is the second-biggest destination (£32.1.bn), with The Netherlands in third place (£27.9bn) – although Make UK warns that this figure could be inflated artificially by goods being routed through Rotterdam for onward travel to other destinations. Ireland is the UK’s fourth-largest export market (£23.9bn). Seven of the UK’s top ten export markets are in the EU, with a combined value of around £143bn. This is more than twice the value of exports to the US, and around nine times higher than exports to China (£16.7bn). According to Make UK, this highlights the need for the Government to smooth out trade barriers with the UK’s dominant export market. “These figures reflect not just the importance of manufacturing to the economy but factors and trends which are redrawing the contours of the global economy at an accelerating rate,” says Make UK’s chief economist, Dr Seamus Nevin. “These trends reinforce why it was vital to introduce a long-term industrial strategy to take competitive advantage of our undoubted strengths. This will ensure the UK retains its place at the top table of advanced manufacturing nations where it has many world-class sectors.” UK climbs to 11th place in global manufacturing p Mitsubishi Electric is buying Nozomi Networks, the US developer of security systems for OT (operational technology) applications, for $883m, with the aim of becoming the world’s top supplier of OT security systems. Mitsubishi plans to create new global services that accelerate its Serendie digital platform. Nozomi, founded in 2016, had revenues of $75m in 2024, and a CAGR of 33% from 2022 to 2024. It employs around 315 people and has gross margins of more than 70%. It has more than 1,000 customers in 75 countries. p The German cognitive robotics specialist, Neura Robotics, has acquired the AGV manufacturer, ek robotics, from administration. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Neura plans integrate ek's capabilities to create what founder and CEO, David Reger, describes as “the dawn of a new dimension in mobile robotics”. Ek, founded more than 60 years ago, has more than 300 employees at five sites, including Buckingham in the UK. Its revenues in 2024 were around €60m. p The private equity firm Foresight Group is investing £7m in Spartan Motor Holdings, the parent company of TEC Electric Motors, which claims to be the biggest independent distributor of electric motors in the UK. The investment will be used to enhance TEC’s services and broaden its product range. Duncan Cooper, who was managing director of the pump-maker Grundfos for more than 30 years, joins TEC as chair. TEC was founded in 2006 by Scott and Tina Edwards, with Gareth Richardson. It distributes LV electric motors, gearboxes and inverters from a 90,000ft2 facility in Worcestershire, with a satellite site located in Sheffield. p Anybotics, the Swiss developer of fourlegged inspection robots, has raised €127m which it will use to support its global expansion and to bring “the world’s first Excertified legged robot” to market. The Anymal X robot, designed to perform inspections in hazardous and explosive environments, is due to go on sale in 2026. Anybotics earlier raised €46m in 2023 and €57m in 2024. p Guidance Automation, the Leicesterbased supplier of autonomous transport systems for factories and warehouses, has launched a scheme that allows manufacturers to deploy autonomous vehicles without capital investments. It says that its “Autonomous Go” automation-by-the-hour model will make automation more accessible. Businesses will pay only for the hours that their systems operate, thus aligning their costs with their outputs. Guidance says that this “flexible, norisk” approach turns automation into an operating expense, delivering cost savings and productivity gains. www.guidanceautomation.com NEWS BRIEFS The UK’s top ten markets for exports of manufactured goods Omron Industrial Automation has appointed Marc Ioannidis as general manager of its UK & Ireland operation, succeeding Sam Tilley, who is now general manager for the Nordic countries. In his new role, Ioannidis – previously general sales manager for the UK & Ireland – will lead Omron’s operations in the region, driving growth, and strengthening the company’s position in key markets. He will report to Vince King, sales director of Omron’s North and Emerging Region. Ioannidis has more than 25 years’experience in the automation sector. He joined Omron in 2008 and has held a series of sales and channel management roles. The West Midlands manufacturing outsourcing specialist PP Control & Automation has named Pinaki Banerjee as its new CEO, with Tony Hague stepping down to take on a commercial and customer-focused role. Pinaki previously led a 900-strong team as CEO of the Central Eastern Europe region of Rubix, and earlier worked for the Hoffman Group and Pilkington. The appointment comes at a crucial time in PP’s growth, with a possible expansion of its manufacturing operations into Europe and North America through acquisitions. It hopes to double its revenues by 2027 to more than £70m through a combination of organic and inorganic growth. CKF Systems has appointed Declan Walker as its head of automation. He has more than a decade of experience in control systems, robotic automation, AMRs and vision technologies. Walker will lead CKF’s controls and applications team, integrating leading-edge technologies into systems, and will focus on developing new strategic opportunities for CKF.
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