DESIGN PLUS | AUTOMATION
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UK manufacturers must tip the balance in favour of automation in 2020 to
avoid falling behind international competition, according to Fanuc UK.
The UK is the only G7
country with a robot
density below the world’s
average, with just 74 units
per 10,000 workers. This positions
the UK behind 14 other European
countries and highlights the
challenge that British manufacturing
faces to compete with foreign
productivity.
A recent report from the
Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy Committee (BEIS)
highlighted the extent of the
challenge, arguing that if the UK
does not make a concerted effort
to transition to the Fourth Industrial
Revolution, it will miss a pivotal
opportunity for growth.
Fanuc UK’s managing director,
Tom Bouchier, says: “One of the
arguments against automation is
that it is too expensive, a belief
especially pervasive amongst those
that need it most – SMEs. But when
you consider that we are around
30% less productive per hour than
a German manufacturer, then the
nancial impact of not automating is
clearly far greater.
“This misconception is
underpinned by a lack of awareness
surrounding automation. Features
such as the ‘I am not a robot’ button
on websites are indicative of the
general mistrust of automation, and
UK manufacturers need to work to
overcome this mindset in order to
boost productivity.”
One of the major arguments
in favour of automation is the
opportunity it represents to upskill
and train employees, essentially
future-proo ng careers and
creating more ful lling jobs.
Organisations such as WorldSkills
seek to inspire young people
looking to enter the industry, by
engaging with the workers of
tomorrow and providing clear
pathways to enter the industry.
Bouchier concludes: “Automation
brings a wealth of exciting
opportunities for everyone in
manufacturing. By being open
about the value that it provides,
British manufacturing can secure
its own future, and help British
businesses to compete on a world
stage.
“Automation should not be
viewed with suspicion because it
drives productivity and is therefore
not a risk to jobs. Failure to automate
is a failure to increase productivity,
which ultimately poses a much more
real threat to UK businesses.”
The good news is that Fanuc UK
has recently delivered a model
from its strongest ever robot
series to neighbouring research
and technology organisation, the
Manufacturing Technology Centre
(MTC), in Coventry.
With a reach of 3.7m and vertical
lifting stroke of 6.2m, the six-axis
Fanuc M-2000iA/2300 is the ideal
solution for handling and palletising
extremely heavy parts, such as
automotive chassis and foundry
workpieces, up to 2.3 tonnes in
weight.
It is the rst of its kind in the
UK, making it the strongest fullyoperational
industrial robot in the
country. The model will play a vital
role in the MTC’s ongoing work with
the Construction Innovation Hub
and will be used as part of research
into large volumetric assembly
within the construction industry.
As well as handling ultra-heavy
workpieces, the robot can also be
used for conventional crane, hoist
and shuttle applications to increase
output and eliminate potentially
dangerous manual work. !
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