Fanuc urges UK manufacturers to adopt automation

Pictured left to right: Andy Armstrong, vice managing director of Fanuc UK; Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands; Simon Ward, Mayor of Rugby; Louise Adkins, consort to the Mayor of Rugby; and Tom Bouchier, managing director of Fanuc UK

Tom Bouchier, Fanuc UK’s managing director, has highlighted the importance of automation in ensuring the UK fully realises the value that the manufacturing sector can bring to our economy. Speaking on the first day of Fanuc UK’s Open House event in Coventry on Tuesday (taking place 12-14 November 2024), he said: “Despite our heritage as a leading manufacturing nation, we have slipped to 12th place in the global manufacturing league table. This is in part due to our reluctance to automate, which is in turn impacting productivity levels. Manufacturing already contributes so much to the UK – it directly accounts for 8% of our GDP, with its wider impact when looking down the supply chain driving up this figure to an impressive 23%.

“Yet we are well below the global average for automation uptake of 162 robots per 10,000 workers, at just 119 robots per 10,000 workers. Increasing automation levels will not only help manufacturers combat labour challenges and sustainability concerns, it will also increase our productivity levels and enable us to compete globally as a leading manufacturing nation, benefiting not only the sector but the country as a whole.”

Driving productivity
Fast establishing itself as the highlight of the automation calendar, Fanuc UK’s annual Open House event showcases the full spectrum of industrial automation. Combining expert presentations, panel debates and end-user case studies with hands-on robot demonstrations, a packed exhibition area, and the live finals of the WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition, it perfectly highlights the benefits of automation to UK manufacturers and other key stakeholders.

The opening of this year’s event was marked with official visits by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Simon Ward, the Mayor of Rugby. Following a tour of the Fanuc facility at Ansty Park in Coventry, Mr Parker addressed the audience with a rousing call to action. He said: “Automation can help to transform our manufacturing and engineering sectors, not just in the West Midlands but across the UK. We need to ensure that manufacturing isn’t just the history of our region; with automation and technology, it can be our future, too.”

Mr Ward added: “Events such as this are vital if we are to continue building for our future. My mayoral theme is youth, and it is encouraging to hear about the work that Fanuc is doing to engage young people into a career in engineering. However, it is clear that we need to catch up with our global counterparts when it comes to productivity — through automation, and by engaging with our future workforce, we can help to do this.”

The morning’s first session was a joint presentation on unlocking the full potential of industrial robotics by Airbus’ Marco Chacin and Oliver Selby, head of sales for Fanuc UK and BARA chair. Mr Chacin outlined the challenges of integrating automation into the aerospace industry — a sector which, due to the size of parts, safety requirements and slow cycle times, is still heavily reliant on manual labour.

He explained that the need to drill 100 million holes each year became a key driver for the use of robotics at Airbus. Collaboration with Fanuc led to the development of a brand-new highly accurate, highly stiff drilling robot (the M-800iA/60) which is now in use across Airbus’ production line.

Collaboration and commitment
Mr Selby added: “More and more, the conversations we are having with customers are centred around collaboration and commitment. Whether working in partnership with OEMs like Fanuc, catapults such as the AMRC, or educational institutions like Sheffield University, barriers to automation are being unlocked, helping manufacturers to increase their productivity and future-proof their operations.”

Other presentations on the first day of the Open House included Steven Grace from Cummins, who outlined the successes and challenges of his company’s global automation project, and Henry Anson, managing director of The Manufacturer, who revealed the key manufacturing trends for 2025.

He said: “Overall, it is a cautiously optimistic picture for the coming year, particularly following the autumn budget. In 2025, manufacturers can expect a continued emphasis on sustainable manufacturing practices, accelerating the rate of digital transformation and increasing resilience through localised supply chains.”

Following on from the success of the first day of Fanuc’s Open House event, the second day focused on education, featured speeches by current engineering apprentices, and day three (today) will centre on UK Automation 2030, and will include a presentation on integrating automation into SMEs by the West Midlands Robotics Cluster.