Opportunities for Manufacturers in Robotics and Automation

Posted on: 26/05/2020

Robotics and Automation solutions are providing lots of opportunities for manufacturers to innovate their processes and products.

The landscape for Manufacturing has changed significantly over the last 20 years and more recently during #UKlockdown.

 

Manufacturing makes up 11% of UK GVA, 44% of total UK exports, 70% of business R&D, and directly employs 2.6 million people. Despite the decline since the 1970s, when manufacturing contributed 25% of UK GDP, the UK is currently the ninth largest manufacturing nation in the world.*

 

Britain’s manufacturers are now entering a new era. Technologies such as automation, AI and digital technologies identified within the 4th Industrial Revolution are helping boost productivity, streamline production and allowing businesses to become more innovative.

 

In this video, we hear from Ben Peace, Head of Manufacturing at KTN and Marie Emerson, Knowledge Transfer Manager, Robotics who are working with manufacturers and robot manufacturers on a day to day basis. With 99% of the UK manufacturers being SME’s Marie highlights some of the challenges facing these companies considering robotics and automation as a solution, including investment, skills shortages and process automation. Marie also speaks about new technologies that will revolutionise this sector including natural language processes, machine vision and machine learning that will make the adoption of robotics for manufacturers easier.

*Source: The Manufacturer

Click here for video

We are already seeing some really interesting robotics and automation companies evolving across the UK alongside forward thinking manufacturers already starting on their journey into digital manufacturing using sensors, manipulators and cobots. There are also lots of pockets of exciting research an innovation happening in this area.

Join our communities

Keep up to date with the what’s happening in the Manufacturing and Robotics and Automation Communities in KTN by joining our LinkedIn Groups.

 

Robotics Automation and AI LinkedIn Group

Manufacturing LinkedIn Group

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