Special Focus: Talking Industry Review Annual Buyers’ Guide 2024 www.pwemag.co.uk Plant & Works Engineering | 35 in the UK (robots per 10,000 workers) is an awful long way behind every other G7 country - we are 24th in the world, well below the worldwide average. There’s a really good study - the World Robotics Report – which looks at the industry verticals where robotics are used. And it’s exactly in the glamour industries of electrical/electronic manufacturing and automotive. But at Siemens, we’re starting to see some wider demands, in particular on the back of Covid. In industries such as food and beverage, the potential for robots is massive. However, the adoption of robots in this vertical is around 5% of worldwide robot usage. It’s really important for us to try and lower the barrier to entry and pave the path for robots to be more widely adopted, not just within the glamorous verticals, but across all sectors.” Nikesh Mistry Sector Head Industrial Automation of GAMBICA added to the discussion: “I was going to talk more about the STEM skills side from the GAMBICA perspective, but the things you [John Mackey] mentioned have given me another idea to talk about as well, that coincides with that. GAMBICA is a UK trade association for industrial automation process, instrumentation and control, and test and measurement. “Within our membership resource of around 230 companies, many come to us for ideas on best practice - we help to set precedents for the industry and show what our members are doing and where the industry should be going. In this respect, Siemens is one of our most active members! There are several different reports out currently, of which John mentioned one. It coincides with what Andy mentioned about influencing governments. GAMBICA was involved a very recent one, produced by the MTA which is all about recommending to the government how to equip our workforce for the future green economy and Industry 4.0. “There are actually 10 recommendations within that report, which we cannot share today, but very soon we will be able to. We are providing SMEs with higher incentives to deliver T levels, and funding campaigns towards STEM subjects. We want to roll out better use of the apprenticeship levy to help support wider investment in education and training. Those are key areas, which we need to address as an industry to ensure that those skills are where they need to be and to make sure that our workforce has the right skills for the future.” In this short report, we cannot cover everything in the discussion, but readers can access the on-demand version of the discussion here. It will also be made available in our series of Podcasts. The discussion went on to discuss many other aspects of the subject, including the specific shortage of robot programmers, and the “middle-managementmindset” of seeing robots as a cost, rather than a relatively small (in many cases) productivity investment with a return in 12-18 months. The session concludes by answering a range of specific questions from the audience. Automation is entirely compatible with the needs of the planet going forward, and contributes to energy saving and net zero, so its future is bright and essential to capitalise on. * Talking industry is sponsored by the Drives & Controls exhibition, taking place next year on 4-6 June 2024 at the NEC in Birmingham, in association with Smart Manufacturing and Engineering Week 2024. DEDICATED TO THE INDEPENDENT GARAGE & BODYSHOP SECTOR ALL UNDER ONE ROOF DIAGNOSTICS, TRAINING, TOOLS, TECHNOLOGY & WELLBEING (combined events) Ryan Fuller Managing Director T: +44 (0) 1732 370340 M: +44 (0) 7720 275097 E: ryan.fuller@dfamedia.co.uk Angela Lyus Head of Sales T: +44 (0) 1732 370340 M: +44 (0) 7823 736629 E: angela@aftermarket.co.uk
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