n NEWS THE PETERBOROUGH-BASED robotics and automation specialist, OAL, has secured a £5m innovation loan from Innovate UK to deploy more than 1,000 robotic systems in the food manufacturing industry by 2030, to tackle labour shortages. The five-year programme will support the commercial rollout of fenceless robotics designed to operate safely alongside people on production lines without traditional caging. The project will support the creation of more than 100 new roles across engineering, software development, systems integration and sales at OAL. The company will also launch an apprenticeship programme to help develop future automation engineers and technicians. The UK food manufacturing sector employs more than 430,000 people, with many roles involving repetitive manual handling tasks for which manufacturers are increasingly struggling to recruit and retain staff. It is estimated that manufacturers are trying to fill more than 100,000 vacancies. Despite these pressures, food factories are far less automated than many other industries, in part because traditional industrial robots are too large, complex or difficult to integrate into existing production environments. OAL’s fenceless robots can be retrofitted to production lines without major changes to factory layouts. By automating repetitive tasks such as pick-and-place handling and palletising, manufacturers can boost efficiency, accuracy and safety, while allowing operators to focus on higher value work. “Labour remains one of the biggest structural challenges in food manufacturing, yet traditional automation is often too large or inflexible to adapt to changing demands – be they consumer- or retailer-led,” explains OAL’s managing director, Jake Norman. “Fenceless robotics addresses this head on. We can rapidly deploy robots into space-constrained environments to automate pick-and-place and palletising tasks. This transformational technology gives manufacturers a real competitive advantage and reduces their exposure to labour shortages.” “In industries like food processing, robotics and automation can increase productivity by filling vacancies rather than replacing jobs,” adds Innovate UK’s innovation lead, Jonathan Walker. “The conditions are generally unpleasant for people to work in due to temperature, hygiene requirements and repetitive tasks but well suited to a properly designed robot. It is great to see UK companies innovating in this space and I’m pleased that Innovate UK are able to support.” OAL (originally Olympus Automation) was founded in 1993 by Harry Norman and remains a family business. In 2016, it entered the robotics market, taking on demanding applications in the food manufacturing sector, from robotic cooking to automated powder weighing. It has now automated more than 2,000 production lines in factories across the UK and Europe. Its customers include Domino’s Pizza, Solina and the Agrana Group. More recently, OAL has expanded into endof-line automation, including palletising robots, pick-and-place systems and fenceless robotic applications. This allows manufacturers to automate repetitive manual tasks while maintaining production performance. June 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com 8 OAL wins £5m to deploy 1,000 fence-free robot systems in UK food sector Andy Armstrong has been appointed managing director of Fanuc UK and Fanuc Ireland, succeeding Tom Bouchier, who will now focus on his role as Fanuc’s cluster coordinator for Northern Europe. Armstrong has more than 40 years’ experience in engineering and sales, and spent the past two years as vice-MD for Fanuc in the UK and Ireland. He was previously with Krauss Maffei for 18 years before joining Fanuc in 2014 as a sales manager. In 2021, he was appointed head of European sales for Roboshot – a position he held while working as vice-MD. Kelly Becker has been named president of Schneider Electric’s North America operations, with effect from 1 July, 2026. For the past five years, she has been responsible for Schneider’s UK, Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands zone. Becker brings more than 25 years of management and leadership experience to her new role. She joined Schneider in 2011 as director of strategy and business development for North America, following a career at Danaher and TAC, where she held product management and other roles. OAL MD Jake Norman: traditional automation is often too large or inflexible EVENTS Smart Manufacturing Week 2026 3–4 June, 2026 NEC, Birmingham Smart Manufacturing Week (SMW), described as the UK’s biggest festival of advanced manufacturing and engineering, will have a fresh look and new features for 2026. It includes Drives & Controls, Smart Factory Expo, Maintec, Design & Engineering Expo, the Manufacturing Digitalisation Summit and The Manufacturer Top 100 Awards. New attractions for 2026 include fighting robots, extra showfloor theatres, and Future Stage – a window into the future of industry. www.smartmanufacturingweek.com Sensor+Test 2026 9–11 June, 2026 Nuremberg, Germany The international trade show for sensor and measurement technologies provides a stage for innovations, technical discussions and networking. The organisers expect more than 300 exhibitors to attend, showcasing products from sensor technologies to AI systems. The fair offers smaller and younger companies, in particular, the opportunity to present themselves on a limited budget. www.sensor-test.de/en Robotics and automation: Powering your future 16-17 June, 2026 MTC, Coventry This two-day event will have the following themes: Productivity Through Automation; Building a Resilient Robotics Ecosystem; and Accelerating AI-Enabled Automation Adoption. It is aimed at everyone interested in robotics and automation, from start-ups to large multinationals, and from researchers to users. https://web-eur.cvent.com/ event/e77fe0c0-19b4-4acc-b9691ea144ee405b/summary Hillhead 2026 23-25 June, 2026 Hillhead Quarry, Buxton, Derbyshire The UK’s largest quarrying, construction and recycling equipment exhibition takes place every two years in a working Derbyshire quarry. It includes live demonstrations of quarrying equipment. Across its three days, the show is expected to attract around 600 exhibitors and nearly 20,000 visitors. Hillhead 2026 is on course to be the largest event in the show’s 44-year history. www.hillhead.com PPMA Show 2026 22-24 September, 2026 NEC, Birmingham The UK’s largest processing and packaging machinery, robotics and industrial vision event is expected to attract more than 350 exhibitors and 1,500 brands. The show will be the first that Automate UK has organised since it launched its Apprenticeship Cluster programme designed to address skills shortages in the manufacturing and engineering sectors. The show will offer advice and support to organisations on how to bridge the skills gap. www.ppmashow.co.uk
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=