UK needs to invest in automation
Posted on 21 Dec 2014 and read 1346 times
The managing director of Cheslyn Hay-based PP Electrical Systems
www.powerpanels.uk.com, a leading provider of control systems, has said that the Government needs to do more to encourage companies to invest in new technology, and that in his opinion UK manufacturing would benefit from a greater focus on improving R&D incentives and a tax system that encourages and rewards capital investment.
Mr Hague said that industrial experts rank the UK as one of the weakest of the technically developed European nations when it comes to automation and robotics.
“We are slowly getting better, but there is some way to go until we get back on to a ‘level playing field’ with the likes of Germany, France and Italy.”
Mr Hague, who is also head of the manufacturing collective known as the Midlands Assembly Network, said that banks need to work more closely with both individual firms and industry groups, in order to understand the reasons why investment is needed and what is required in order to make that happen.
“The other systematic problem of UK investment is the short-term approach we take as bosses, talking about a return on investment in two to three years. Compare this to the German Mittelstand-style businesses, where their approach, along with the associated financial institutions, is built on the long term. There appears to be a cultural chasm that we need to bridge.”
Mr Hague concluded: “The use of robotics, harnessing their precision and stamina, coupled with an engaged and innovative workforce, is an essential strategy for long-term success, energy management and growth. I think it could also inspire the future generation of engineers. What better way to reach out to young people about manufacturing than showing them world-class technology and how they can work with it as part of their future career?”