Robot arms can now be found in schools , colleges , universities and training centres up and down the country . At FANUC we ’ ve had cost-effective educational cell packages available for the past seven years , with increasing uptake , thanks in part to our role as a sponsor partner of WorldSkills , a global vocational skills championship that helps prepare young people for a career in robotics . We sell around 25 educational cells into the UK every year , with the latest package featuring a FANUC CRX- 10iA collaborative robot .
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT UK MANUFACTURERS ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE BENEFITS OF DIGITALISATION ?
In general , UK companies have trouble relating to the added value that connected or smart technology brings . However , we are talking to some UK plants about adopting higher levels of digitalisation via our open-platform FIELD system , which stands for FANUC Intelligent Edge Link and Drive . The FIELD system can connect robots and machine tools of different generations from all manufacturers and with FIELD system apps , companies can monitor , measure and analyse data to improve production efficiencies .
DO YOU FEEL WE ARE ON THE CUSP OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE REVOLUTION HERE IN THE UK ?
The automotive industry ’ s transition to electric vehicles is high on our agenda . Hopefully , we are seen as the market leader for both battery and EV manufacture , particularly as FANUC is
at the heart of all Tesla ’ s automated production in the US and Germany . The UK is planning to build a number of gigafactories for battery manufacture , but if these gigafactories are looking at space and buildings , they should also be looking at the associated automation infrastructure – particularly given the current global supply chain issues . If people commit , we will work with them commercially to ensure we manage any risks effectively .
ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE FOR UK AUTOMATION ?
Despite its challenges , one of the positives to come out of the pandemic was the fact that it accelerated digitalisation . Businesses that had already embraced automation were shielded from some of the immediate operational challenges caused by lockdowns and social distancing . This has prompted a shift in tone towards the benefits of automation rather than barriers to implementation .
Of course , there ’ s still a lot of work to be done to bring us in line with our international peers , but I do feel as though the tide is beginning to turn . There is certainly a growing appetite for digital transformation among UK manufacturers , particularly in key growth markets such as food processing and packaging , making it an exciting time to be involved in the automation industry .
www . fanuc . eu / uk / en
Companies across all industries are now waking up to the benefits of automation
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