In a bid to address the ongoing manufacturing labour crisis,
Fanuc UK is uniting a collective of automation experts, bringing together more than 30 leading names from across the automation and robotics industry to ‘debate and discuss the most pressing issues facing the manufacturing sector today’.
Giving visitors a behind-the-scenes, all-access pass to its ‘cutting-edge automation facility’, Fanuc UK will open the doors to its Coventry headquarters from 2-4 November. The event, which features live robot demonstrations and hands-on robot training, will also showcase the next generation of industrial robotics talent by offering visitors the chance to pit their skills against this and previous years’
WorldSkills UK finalists.
‘Thought leaders’ from Fanuc UK — including managing director Tom Bouchier and new head of sales Oliver Selby — will be joined by automation experts such as Phil Hadfield from Rockwell Automation and representatives from Fanuc’s system integration partners. The Open House morning sessions will feature a series of free talks, panel discussions and interviews with automation leaders who will share their experiences and highlight the many real-world benefits that robotics and automation can deliver to UK manufacturers. They will reveal how robots can help manufacturers address the current labour crisis, boost productivity, and improve quality and consistency.
Digital transformationFurthermore, sessions on digital transformation, upskilling and cobots will be accompanied by debates on many other current topics — including harnessing the power of partnerships and investing in apprentices.
Mr Selby said: “Historically, UK manufacturers have been slower to the robotics revolution than their international counterparts, but the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has revealed that the UK is now one of the top 15 countries for annual installations of industrial robots, with figures rising by 8% in 2020. Partly as a result of labour shortages prompted by Brexit and the pandemic, demand for robots in the UK is expected to grow further.
“We look forward to showcasing the benefits that automation can bring, providing real-world insight into the key issues facing the manufacturing sector and addressing any lingering concerns that manufacturers may have.”
Mr Bouchier added: “As a global industry partner of
WorldSkills, Fanuc has jointly promoted the competition to budding young robot developers. Visitors to our Open House can see if they have what it takes to enter the next cycle by carrying out the exact robotics programming task that was set for the qualifying round, and our young finalists will be on hand to offer their support. We look forward to showcasing the benefits of investing in the next generation and celebrating all the entrants’ hard work this November.”
Further details of the event can be found at the website (
ukopenhouse.fanuc.eu).