Robotics and Automation in UK Manufacturing: Insights and Solutions
Robotics and automation technology (RAT) can offer significant benefits, such as increased productivity, efficiency, and enhanced worker safety. But how are these technologies being adopted in the manufacturing sector? Our research examines the benefits and challenges of RAT adoption and provides practical advice on how to drive growth.
The digitalisation of the UK manufacturing sector represents a vital move towards increased efficiency, competitiveness, and innovation. At the heart of this shift is the adoption of robotics and automation technology (RAT), which has proven to significantly boost productivity, enhance output, and improve efficiency. RAT also bolsters global competitiveness by ensuring consistent, high-quality production, helps address labour shortages by complementing the workforce with advanced technology, and improves worker safety by reducing exposure to hazardous tasks and environments. Given the clear benefits of RAT, we ask: How effectively is it being utilised across the manufacturing sector, and what factors may be hindering its broader adoption?
To answer this question, we developed a comprehensive survey to explore the current state of RAT adoption within the industry, leveraging insights from the UK manufacturing sector.
Benefits and Challenges
As digital technologies, including robotics and automation technologies (RATs), become integral to modern manufacturing, it is crucial to understand the adoption patterns, benefits, and challenges faced by companies of varying sizes and at different stages of adoption. Interestingly, while both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies expect similar benefits from RAT adoption, their challenges differ markedly. For instance, SMEs primarily struggle with financial constraints, which significantly hinder their ability to invest in RATs.
Although our survey identified a significant budget disparity between SMEs and large companies, complicating RAT adoption for smaller firms, nearly half of non-adopters confirmed that they have the necessary resources to implement RATs. For these organisations, it highlights how factors beyond financial constraints, such as employee resistance and data security concerns, are influencing their hesitation.
The survey findings reveal that while the anticipated benefits of RATs largely revolve around improving production operations, the most significant challenges are human-related, such as complex skill requirements and the need to acquire skilled personnel. Addressing these human-related challenges is critical to accelerating RAT adoption and underscores the importance of enhancing training programs to help companies bridge the skills gap.
Our findings also indicate that companies, especially those that have not yet adopted these technologies, would benefit from increased awareness and knowledge. Notably, more than 60% of respondents indicated they would adopt more RATs if they had access to real-life examples, underscoring the importance of showcasing successful implementations. To address this, creating platforms for information sharing and organising networking events could facilitate the exchange of knowledge within the sector.
Conclusions
In conclusion, our research has shown that while the expected benefits of RAT adoption are clear and consistent across companies, the challenges, particularly those related to human resources and financial constraints, vary significantly depending on company size and adoption level. Addressing these challenges through targeted support mechanisms—such as enhanced training programs and increased financial assistance—could dramatically boost the adoption of RATs across the manufacturing sector. Additionally, fostering a culture of information sharing and showcasing successful case studies could help overcome the barriers faced by non-adopters, ultimately leading to a more widespread and effective integration of RATs in manufacturing.
To explore the results of our survey in greater detail, please refer to the P-LD Insights documents detailed below.
Additional Resources
Author’s profile
Ayse Begüm Kilic-Ararat is a researcher and PhD candidate at the Centre for People-Led Digitalisation and is based at the University of Bath. Begüm’s research is focused on the technology adoption in organisations, by examining human, technological and environmental factors. Her research explores how these elements influence the integration and effectiveness of advanced automation technologies.
If you would like further information on this research please email: p-ld@bath.ac.uk
