TECH THE ADVICE
How can we address labour shortages and an ever-widening skills gap in the North-East ?
Mark Thompson , business development manager for Aycliffe-based Cobots Online , on how collaborative robots can work for any business …
As has been heavily publicised over recent months , the UK is suffering from one of the biggest labour shortages in the last few decades , causing significant issues across all walks of life .
Everyone from the hospitality industry , pharmaceuticals to engineering and manufacturing are struggling to get staff and more importantly , skilled staff .
Coupled with impending minimum wage increases , inflated shipping and material costs , how are businesses in Newton Aycliffe and the North-East going to remain competitive and stay ahead of the competition ?
In an ideal world you ’ d look to find a solution that would maximise the productivity of your core staff , prioritise them on the higher skilled and more engaging tasks and back them up with operatives who can be trained to do the more repetitive tasks and do it at a minimal cost , but in the current situation that can ’ t be possible ... or can it ?
How about having a quick-learning skilled operative that ’ s been proven to work 24 / 7 / 365 without breaks , holidays , pay , sickness and never has to isolate with Covid and all paid up within 12-18 months ?
Sound like a fairy tale ? A story to put troubled HR managers and managing directors to sleep at night after a staffing nightmare ? It sounds like you need to talk to Cobots Online !
Cobots – or Collaborative robots – are the next big thing in terms of answering the labour shortage problem for small bespoke businesses .
The next opportunity to consider is whether a cobot could work in your business .
The first question to ask is do you have one of the following repetitive tasks in your business ?
• Loading / unloading a machine
• Packing boxes / palletising boxes
• Checking of pieces / parts
• Picking & placing of parts
• Screwdriving / bolting / sticking / welding
• Polishing / sanding / grinding
One thing to remember is that a cobot can work well doing one operation thousands of times , or a thousand operations 50 times , and doesn ’ t get tired .
The second question to ask is , could your business benefit from allowing your skilled staff to focus on their key skilled tasks and having something else doing the necessary arduous labour to back up these skills ?
The third question to ask is are you aware a fully integrated cobot solution can be installed for as little as £ 50-60,000 and that if you ’ re an SME , currently you may be able to get 25-30 per cent of the capital costs paid by grant funding ?
The last question is simple , when are you talking to Cobots Online ?
Cobots Online is a family business with family values , based on Aycliffe Business Park and focused on bringing the benefits of cobots to the north of the UK .
Get in touch if you ’ d like to learn more . Mark Thompson Business development manager , Cobots Online E : sales @ cobotsonline . co . uk Tel : 01325 313377
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 27