All change at automation company

#ukmfg #engineering #agv #automation #britishmfg Mike Burke (left) has been promoted from projects manager to managing director of Hampshire-based E&K Automation Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German manufacturer of automated guided vehicle systems E&K Automation GmbH.

Experience of AGV system design and implementation dating back to 1986 gives Mr Burke a particularly comprehensive knowledge of this sector of materials handling. A Chartered Engineer with a BSc in mechanical engineering, he is also an AMHSA (Automated Material Handling Systems Association) committee member.

As a consequence of Mr Burke’s promotion, Stewart Bourn has been recruited as project/ health and safety manager; he has a BSc in numerous modules from computing to social science from the Open University and holds CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) safety accreditation dating back to 2000. In 2009, he completed an NVQ4 in occupational safety and health and is now a graduate and chartered member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

“There is growing realisation that automation is essential for companies to be able to compete successfully with overseas competitors,” says Mr Burke. “Our biggest successes lately have involved the multi-phase installation of AGV systems in the fast-moving consumer goods sector to automate their multi-shift manufacturing operations and reduce labour costs. Another driver for investing in automation is to reduce the incidence of damage to transported goods associated with conventional fork lift truck operation and other manual handling practices.”