Gripple Automation: Driving production
in the smartest factories
You may have heard of world-leading
manufacturer of wire joining systems,
Gripple, but you might not know Gripple
Automation, its sister company that
makes the machines powering some of
the smartest factories there are.
Since the 1980s, customers have
demanded more products at a
competitive price from Sheffield-based
Gripple, which meant using the best of
the best in automation was a must.
Embracing robotics defined the
firm as an award-winning British
manufacturer that made quality products
at pace. This also saw its automation
department grow and gain its own
identity. Gripple Automation Ltd now
operates as an entirely separate entity,
using its knowledge and experience
to manufacture bespoke automation
systems to customers across sectors and
the globe, from the automotive industry
to fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).
A flood of orders meant Gripple
Automation has outgrown its current
home and will move to a new purpose
built 26,500sq ft factory on Foley Street
at the start of next year, where Gripple
Automation will use 16,500sq ft and
Gripple will utilise the remaining space.
A STRONG GRIP
“We have been making machines
for Gripple for a number of years,”
says managing director at Gripple
Automation, Darren Beardsmore. “In
2012, Gripple Automation became its
own business.”
He says the last few years has seen
the business continue to grow and
Beardsmore credits the team for this
progress. “We put a strategy in place for
growth and then carried it out, it was
let’s really look at what we need to do to
grow our automation business.
“Originally our plan was just to supply
Gripple, and so it was reactive rather
than proactive,” he says. “Now, because of
the growth and our other customers, we
have to be much more proactive.”
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“One of the things we do is identify
companies similar to Gripple, more
strategic firms who are prepared to share
their production requirements for the
future, so we support them in the same
way we do Gripple.”
THE MORE THE MERRIER
THE ROBOTS RISE
One of the firm’s recent machines –
image courtesy of Gripple Automation.
“We don’t just build machines and then
wave goodbye to them,” Beardsmore
tells me. “We install them onsite and we
have to live and breathe those machines
for their entire lifespan.”
He explains that it is not just the
warranty label on the machine that is
important to the team, but the entire
lifecycle of the machine instead.
With the surge of robotics in UK
manufacturing showing no signs of
slowing, Gripple Automation expect to
be busy.
“Gripple are growing and so their
automation requirements are growing
too. We will need to continue to grow
just to support Gripple let alone our
increasing customer base,” he says.
“It is hugely important to us to make
machines that do mundane tasks and
upskill the workforce, so they work
alongside them rather than act as
replacements.”
Many people think that when the
team at Gripple Automation work with
a business, they are there to replace
them and reduce headcount, but
Beardsmore stresses that’s not the case.
“Some businesses do want to do that,
but we are not interested. We want
to make machinery that upskills the
workforce and does the tasks that are
giving people RSI and things, we want to
focus on projects like that,” he says.
“The UK is only at the start of its
automation-led future,” he says. “I think
there is a lot more to come. But it will
be more focused around collaborative
spaces rather than cobots, because then
machines can work at their maximum
speed and drive up productivity.”
www.grippleautomation.com/