Automation and robotics businesses in the UK looking to insulate themselves from increasing economic headwinds should place investment high on their agendas for 2023, organisers of the largest annual event in the UK showcasing leading automation, robotic and machine vision suppliers have said.
Automation UK, which is co-located with established industrial vision confex, MVC (Machine Vision Conference), has been launched by a group of the leading trade associations championing the use and development of automation and industrial robots in British industry. BARA (British Automation & Robot Association) is the respected advocate of the robotics and automation industries, while UKIVA (UK Industrial Vision Association) promotes the use of Machine Vision technology throughout UK industry. The two bodies share an affinity based on the combined use of vision and robotics within the end-to-end production line process.
Both bodies, part of the PPMA group of associations, are urging automation and robotics business to take a mid-to-long-term view of the economy and to continue investing in the latest technology which will enable them to make the step-change improvements in productivity and competitiveness that will better position them to capitalise on new opportunities and speed up return on investment.
Automation UK and MVC, which will be the largest annual event in the UK showcasing leading robotic and vision suppliers, will take place against the backdrop of severe economic challenges and overcoming these through the use of the latest technology will be one of the key themes of the show.
The exhibition’s broad scope will target stakeholders from across the industrial spectrum including manufacturing, retail/consumer, automotive, electrical/electronics/engineering, aerospace and maritime, food and drink, logistics, transport and distribution, oil, gas & nuclear and many more.
The potential is vast but latest intelligence shows the automation and robotics market to be worth billions of pounds.
In the UK in 2020, annual shipments of multipurpose industrial robots were estimated to be around 2,200 units, with 40 percent of these alone destined for the UK automotive industry. In 2020, there were about 23,000 industrial robots in operation in the UK.
In the period 2011 to 2022, the sales value of Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, Nuclear, Marine & Materials’ processing machinery manufactured in the UK increased significantly, with Q1 in 2022 yielding the fourth strongest start to annual sales since 2011, with only 2012, 2018 & 2020 generating higher sales.
The global market for industrial robots amounted to $43.8BN in 2021. The market had been expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 10 percent, reaching almost $70.6BN by 2028. While this may be disrupted by the economic decline, Automation UK organisers believe there is still good reason to optimistic, not least because of the Government investment via the Made Smarter Industrial Strategy which has set aside £455BN in a 10-year strategy, with £184BN specifically allocated to automation and robotics.
“Despite headwinds, there is clear evidence that automation and robotics offer the fastest returns for businesses looking to improve their productivity and offset costs. There is also a strong desire amongst businesses operating in this sector to demonstrate their resilience to decision makers and buyers and to highlight the importance of the automation and robotics sectors to the future growth of UK industry.”
Mark Stepney, Managing Director of Schubert UK and a PPMA board member
Automation UK and MVC will highlight the latest industrial products and services, robots, robotic systems, systems integration, automation control parts and systems, sensors and machine safety to an eager array of decision makers, buyers and sellers from across the UK and beyond enabling them to make better informed investment decisions. There will be live demonstrations of many of the machines on display.
Visitors will also be able to talk to exhibitors face-to-face and gather the latest market intelligence from industry experts.
“We have a very competitive offer for exhibitors and one we firmly believe they will find very attractive, not least because the show is open to all suppliers and prospective purchasers,”
Mark Stepney, Managing Director of Schubert UK and a PPMA board member
Automation UK takes place at the Coventry Building Society Arena between 20th-21st June 2023.
