In order that the UK manufacturing sector both survives and grows, the nucleus of its progress must be automation.
The UK can no longer lag behind those countries who have embraced automation.
UK manufacturing operates in a global market, no longer are our competitors here in the UK but the other side of the world, we are teetering on the edge of losing our competitive edge within this global arena unless we do something to reduce this widening gap.
I hope this short editorial goes some way in dispelling some of the myths surrounding automation along with reiterating the importance of the UK embracing it.
Automation is no longer a luxury in the modern machine shop; it’s a necessity, many business owners of a certain age can look back over careers spent in manufacturing and see the metamorphosis our industry has taken, from simple manual machines, to bolt on CNC controls to more advanced CNC hybrid machines, companies who did not embrace these changes are very unlikely to still be trading and the same now applies for automation; never before has our industry experienced such a shortage of skilled labour, coupled with an aging labour force, it has become incumbent upon those of us who love this industry to ensure we offer a bright future for the next generation by offering them well paid, rewarding and interesting careers by investing in automation.
One of the pervasive fears surrounding automation is job displacement, reality shows us a different story.
Far from making human labour redundant, CNC automation enhances it, by allowing CNC programmers to do exactly that; programme and set, to undertake their creative tasks and let the automation do the dangerous repetitive tasks, thereby breathing new life into our industry which is being hampered by inefficiency.
Our industry has undergone many changes over the past 50 years, embracing automation is the next logical step and the catalyst for growth, its imperative we bridge the gap between the UK and those countries who have seen the benefits of machine tool automation.
The clock is ticking, and the UK is at a crossroads, we must not languish in the shadows of our counterparts, we must embrace the change.
Automation isn’t the key to survival – it is potentially a gateway to success.
Let’s be sure UK engineers maintain their place at the “top table” and embrace automation.