UK manufacturing is investing for the future as 2001 sees record robot sales in the UK

Citation

(2002), "UK manufacturing is investing for the future as 2001 sees record robot sales in the UK", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929eab.002

UK manufacturing is investing for the future as 2001 sees record robot sales in the UK

UK manufacturing is investing for the future as 2001 sees record robot sales in the UK

Keywords: Robots, Statistics, United Kingdom

Last year saw a record number of new robots installed in the UK, which can only be good news for UK manufacturing (see Figure 1). While many people predict the demise of manufacturing in the UK, this shows that companies who are not afraid to use the latest manufacturing technologies still see the UK as a viable base for manufacturing.

As usual the automotive industry is leading the way, taking almost three-quarters of the total (see Figure 2). Last year this sector showed a marked move towards investment from tier one and two suppliers with relatively small numbers going into vehicle assembly plants.

Sales to other sectors have remained fairly static for some years. Robot suppliers are confidently predicting another good year for 2002 with again a lot of activity within the automotive sector.

Figure 1 UK annual robot installation figures

Looking at the figures, 1,941 robots were installed which easily beats the previous record high of "97", in which 1,792 robots were sold. It is estimated that there are now around 13,500 industrial robots working in the UK.

One notable change is the increase in the food and drink industry, where the increase is due to technological advances in palletising and packaging robots, and should continue for some time.

Figure 2 Installation figures split between the automotive industry and others

The growth of the electronics sector, and the sharp decline in the rubber and plastics industries are thought to be caused by changes in investment patterns (see Figure 3).

These figures are collated by the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) based at the University of Warwick, an organisation which promotes the appropriate use of automation within the UK.

Figure 3 Installation patterns by industry sector

Figures are supplied by all of the major robot suppliers within the UK, and BARA has been tracking UK robot sales since 1978.

For further information contact: Dr Ken Young, BARA, University of Warwick. Tel +44 (0) 24 76 522 764; E-mail: K.W.young@warwick.ac.uk