Automation and the COVID-19/Brexit effect

29 June, 2021

The UK has a very healthy technology supply base, with over 60 robot providers and over 300 systems integrators. “So, there are many reasons why we are very well set to accelerate the development of automation in the UK,” says Professor Turner. He adds that skilling the workforce is also a very important issue. “This is sometimes seen as a barrier to automation, but it’s actually an opportunity to develop the skills of the next generation of workers to ensure they are more comfortable with the digital systems’ interfaces,” he says.

Recently, COVID-19 and Brexit may have been the main spurs for companies to take a closer look at automation and robotics. However, this current upward trajectory of interest needs to be sustained for UK industry to remain a credible competitor against some formidable foreign competition. Alongside this, of course, is the need to ensure the workforce is endowed with the right skills to fully comprehend, operate and maintain this type of technology effectively and efficiently. There is no time to waste – it’s time to focus.

Ed Holden, editor