A full schedule of speakers and a record number of visitors to Coventry-based Fanuc UK’s recent Open House, demonstrated a strong appetite for automation among UK manufacturers.

1,000 people passed through the company’s doors at Antsy Park during the week-long event which brought together individuals from across the industry to look at the future of automation. Keynote speakers and expert panel discussions where held throughout the week, which looked at the ’Future of Automation’ spanning three core themes: automation and UK manufacturing; vusiness sevelopment, training and apprenticeships; and Industry 4.0 and the Industrial internet of things (IIoT).

The Open House was very much centred on collaboration, not just in terms of knowledge sharing, but also the technology that was on display. Alongside Fanuc’s extensive portfolio, there were almost 50 exhibitors on-hand to illustrate how they have used automation across a wide range of applications. For those who were unable to make the journey, a number of the talks were also streamed live on Fanuc UK’s LinkedIn feed — and these are still available to view.

Tom Bouchier, Fanuc UK managing director, said: “We are delighted at the great response to the Open House, which is indicative of how many within manufacturing are realising the potential of automation. Being able to welcome people face-to-face is critical for getting to grips with the latest technology, and understanding where pressure points lie in order to develop effective solutions.

“It was a fantastic exercise to talk through the issues that are most important to our industry, and understand what the future of automation holds for UK manufacturing. We would like to thank all of the exhibitors and visitors for helping to ensure it was a productive event, and one which we are already looking forward to hosting again next year.”