FEATURE
Focused – New ITS managing director Andrew Mills .
FAST FORWARD
Industrial Technology Systems ’ ( ITS ) new managing director Andrew Mills readies the company for period of sustained growth
For more than 30 years , ITS has been providing innovative solutions , satisfying the challenging regulatory demands of customers in life sciences , chemical manufacturing , power and sustainable energy .
At the end of 2023 , I joined ITS at an exciting milestone in the company ’ s history . Over the years , ITS has developed a niche position , providing technical services in system integration – embracing automation , robotic and visualisation systems , software solutions , validation and verification assurance that transform and improve the operations of our customers .
From having roles that focused my attention internationally and most recently nationally , the opportunity to grow and develop a business in the north of England was very appealing , as I have never moved from the region .
I knew ITS well before I joined and respected the leadership team , the strength and depth of their offering and the position attained with many blue-chip customers .
But what attracted me most was the potential – the opportunity to build on well-established foundations and grow and develop something unique and special in the North-East , and Teesside in particular .
Why is there so much demand for ITS ? Our customers undertake projects in automation , require robotic and visualisation systems and access software solutions for a variety of good reasons .
1 . To increase labour utilisation : Automating a manufacturing operation usually increases production rate and labour productivity . This means greater output per hour of labour input .
2 . To reduce labour costs : Everincreasing labour costs has been and continues to be the trend in the world ’ s industrialised countries . Consequently , higher investment in automation has become economically justifiable to replace manual operations .
3 . To mitigate the effect of labour shortages : There is a general shortage of labour in some countries , and this has stimulated the development of automated operations as a substitute .
4 . To reduce or eliminate manual or quality checks : An argument can be made that there is social value in automating operations that are routine and even tiresome . Automating such tasks serves a purpose of improving quality and the general level of working
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