AUTOMATION MARCH 2019
DEAL OR NO DEAL?
Automation could be the answer to all manner of potential
issues thrown up by ongoing political uncertainty
BY MARK GRAY, UK MANAGER, UNIVERSAL ROBOTS
The UK is one of the world’s largest
manufacturing nations, yet, according to
recruitment specialist Robert Half UK,
49% of the manufacturing companies in
the country reportedly struggle to find
skilled workers for the jobs at hand. It’s
therefore worth combining other strategies to
increase production and reduce costs, which is
going to become even more pressing in 2019.
Keeping up with the rapid development of new,
and often costly, technologies has always been a
challenge: many feel averse to investing in new
technology each year, yet failing to do so may leave
businesses struggling to remain competitive in a
highly crowded market. Manufacturers, especially
SMEs, need to invest in flexible technology which
can be adapted to different tasks as simply and
effortlessly as possible, providing companies with a
future-proofed investment.
Beating the skills shortage
Since the UK voted to leave the European Union
back in 2016, several companies have put long
term investment decisions on hold due to growing
uncertainty and concern around the outcome of
Brexit as well as the effect that it will have on the
industry. No matter the outcome however, both the
UK and its manufacturing industry will be forced
to work through a political and economic turmoil
in the coming years. Seeing that manufacturing is
heavily reliant on EU labour, the industry is already
suffering from significant shortages in skilled
labour, which is likely to worsen
following 29 March – no matter
the final outcome. Automating
operations will enhance
businesses competitiveness as
well as their ability to respond
to commercial opportunities
whilst significantly boosting
productivity, as the equipment
can be kept running for longer
without affecting costs, as
automation allows for same
targets to be met with less
manpower.
Currently, temporary workers
are employed by many UK
manufacturers to carry out
simple, repetitive tasks such
as pick & place and packing.
If access to these employees
becomes increasingly restricted,
companies will need to have
a back-up strategy to function
efficiently and maintain
operations. In order to stay both
operational and competitive in
the future, UK manufacturers
need to start investing in
automation not only to increase
productivity, but to ensure
production won’t get halted or
massively affected by labour
shortages should the UK crash
out of the union without a deal
come the due date.
The old notion of automation
being out of reach to SMEs
and only available to larger
corporations with bigger budgets
has, contrary to popular belief,
not been the case for the past
couple of years. Collaborative
robots, or cobots, have
become the more affordable
and flexible alternative to
traditional industrial robots.
Cobots can provide companies
of all sizes with enhanced
flexibility, adaptability and
affordability, making them
the ideal tool for tackling any
labour shortages that future
political developments may
bring. Their unique adaptability
allows them to be deployed,
and quickly redeployed, to any
task at the factory, thus allowing
companies to react and adapt to
changing customer demands to
a larger degree than ever before.
The cobots can thus ensure
manufacturers can function
effectively no matter the future
Automation can
help plug the
skills gap created
by a shortage of
EU labour
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