Page 11 - Industrial Technology January 2020

BREXIT DELAYS

SCHUNK GRIPPER PLAYS A

CENTRAL ROLE IN AMRC
WALES OPENING CEREMONY

efore Christmas, the University of Sheffield
officially opened its Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru, a £20m
Bstate-of-the-art research and development
facility in North Wales. As a member of the AMRC,
Schunk UK played an integral role in the opening
ceremony, holding the ribbon with a Schunk gripper for
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford to cut the
Manufacturers have reported that the application process Target export markets for UK manufacturers. Source: MakeUK ceremonial ribbon.
for AEO and Special Procedures is time consuming, Described by Welsh government ministers as a ‘game
particularly where a pre-approval audit visit is required. need to investigate urgently new arrangements with changer’ for the economies of Wales and the northern
Delays and bureaucracy are particularly off-putting to Notified Bodies in the EU 27 as the UK falls back on WTO powerhouse, the AMRC Cymru is a purpose-built research
companies when the Brexit deadline keeps moving. rules. This means that UK Notified Bodies will no longer and development facility close to the Airbus wing-
have a role in regulated product conformity assessment manufacturing plant in Broughton. It was officially opened
Exporting services across the EU/EEA. by Mark Drakeford and Economy and North Wales
UK manufacturers do not just export goods to the EU – Even in a no-deal scenario, the UK would need to Minister Ken Skates, who accompanied Professor Koen
they are increasingly exporting services too. The single negotiate a new relationship with the EU. While there Lamberts, president and vice-chancellor at the University
market benefits plus the geographical proximity of our EU would be pressure from both sides to negotiate quickly, of Sheffield, on a tour of the new building to see the new
neighbours puts the UK in the top three of intra-EU the reality is that trade agreements take many years to technologies that will be available to manufacturing
exports and imports. negotiate. The UK’s negotiating position would be equal companies across Wales.
Services in this context means anything that is not to that of any third country. And the UK–EU discussions Situated in the Deeside Enterprise Zone, the facility
goods, ranging from service engineers travelling on site to would need to start against the backdrop of the UK having will operate a 2,000sq/m open access research area
EU customers to what businesses would call short-term made an abrupt and harsh exit from the EU. focus with a focus on advanced manufacturing sectors
business trips (STBTs) – meeting a customer or receiving A key element of negotiating our new trade deal with such as the aerospace, automotive, nuclear and food.
or delivering training. Post-Brexit barriers to the delivery of the EU will be access to the EU’s 40+ free trade This region has a strong manufacturing base and AMRC
services would have significant ramifications for this agreements across the globe, covering many of the UK’s Cymru will build on this, driving world-class research and
growing market. key export markets for manufacturers. While the UK expertise across the supply chain. It could increase Gross
It is also important to consider regulatory alignment. Government has deployed considerable resources to Value Added (GVA) to the Welsh economy by as much as
UK manufacturers have long relied on the EU’s adoption prevent disruption in trade by replicating the EU’s trade £4 billion over the next 20 years.
of a common approach to rules and regulations, agreements with third countries, the job is far from Holding the ceremonial ribbon for the First Minister
particularly for technical regulations. This alignment has complete. To date, the UK has signed or agreed in was a Schunk Co-act gripper attached to a Kuka Cobot
been a key advantage for UK companies building strategic principle only 12 of the so-called continuity trade that was mounted on a Kuka AGV. The EGH Co-act
trading and service relations with European and global agreements, and it is not yet wholly clear that these deals gripper is the latest addition to the Co-act gripper family
customers and suppliers. And vice versa. retain all of the benefits contained within the previous and is a flexible system for gripping and moving of small
In a no-deal Brexit, the UK Government has stated its arrangements. to medium-sized workpieces in the areas of handling,
intention to ensure, as far as possible, that the same laws This means that, should the UK leave the EU without assembly and electronics. The long stroke of the gripper
and rules will apply as are currently in place. The reality a deal, our trade with key markets such as Canada, Japan can cover a very wide range of workpieces as the gripper
is that this is not always going to be possible. Survey and Brazil could be significantly disrupted. Canada, in fingers are particularly suited for positioning over the
results suggest that nearly two-thirds (64%) of particular, refused to roll over the trade deal on the basis entire stroke. The robust parallel movement of the fingers
respondents understand that changes will be introduced that the UK was unilaterally abolishing tariffs, showing an ensures constant gripping force at a position over the
that will affect product labelling for goods destined for the immediate impact of the Government’s proposals for a no- entire stroke. With fast commissioning, programming and
UK and EU markets respectively. deal Brexit.As such, manufacturers should prepare for simple use of an intelligent servo gripper due to the ‘Plug
More worryingly, fewer than one-quarter of considerable uncertainty in the years to come. For the and Work’ starter package, the Schunk EGH Co-act
respondents (23%) have taken action to identify and duration of this period of uncertainty it is important to gripper offers optionally attachable flexible fingers for
make arrangements for the notification process to be recognise that UK manufacturers will find it increasingly increased flexibility. This also increases the gripper’s
undertaken at an EU Notified Body if they intend to place difficult to retain existing contracts with EU customers, range of application.
goods on the EU market after Brexit day. The majority will while winning new business may be even harder. MORE INFO: www.gb.schunk.com

January 2020 •INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY 11