Automata Eva robotic arm at Harris RCS

Coventry-based Harris RCS Ltd, a precision engineering firm, has taken its first steps into automation with the installation of its first two industrial robots. The Automata Eva robotic arms will drive the manufacturer’s digital transformation, automating more mundane tasks which will allow staff to develop new skills to support the company’s future growth.

For more than four decades, the family-owned company has committed to continuous business improvement. The company provides precision CNC machined parts for customers in aerospace and other hi-tech sectors and is working to boost competitiveness with the aid of smart factory technologies. Its new robots take centre stage in that transformation, helping automate tasks in the inspection and part marking departments.

According to Make UK’s Innovation Monitor 2050 report, only 13% of UK manufacturing companies have implemented Industrial Digital Technologies (IDTs) to the stage at which they are seeing a significant improvement in productivity.

Harris RCS is determined to buck the trend and has collaborated with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry to prepare for Industry 4.0. The MTC has helped the company to develop a new digital scheduling system and introduce automation to boost productivity and build resilience.

The MTC carried out a robotics project with Harris RCS to assess business needs and identify which processes were best suited to automation. It also encouraged the company to apply to the Manufacturing Growth Fund which provided 40% grant funding support.

Automating mundane tasks
The robots are now fully operational and are already driving efficiencies across the shopfloor.
Matthew Fielder, Harris RCS operations manager, said: “We are experimenting with the robots and taking a problem-solving approach to see how they can be automate mundane tasks so that we can upskill our employees and give them higher value work. Everyone is excited about how the robots can improve our working environment, increase capacity and leverage talent to create new business opportunities.”

That determination to use automation to support upskilling skills has made the manufacturer rethink how the robots are integrated into the business. Instead of buying a comprehensive package from a robot supplier, staff were encouraged to take ownership of the robots, creating a suitable environment, dealing with set up and learning how to programme them from scratch.

Employees have been given time to experiment with the robots and have used their talents to build customised programmes including designing grippers to pick up parts as well as exploring the potential for robots to operate machines.

The company is now working with the MTC on the next stage of its digital transformation, drawing up a technology roadmap and striving to become a paperless factory.