Page 10 - Industrial Technology April 2021 issue

INDUSTRY

UPDATE...

Innovation in manufacturing

technology must never stop

MANUFACTURING IS LIKE SO MANY OTHER INDUSTRIES IN THE WORLD. IT MUST ADAPT TO NEW
SURROUNDINGS WHEN THE TIME COMES, AND IT MUST STRIVE FOR PROGRESSION THROUGH
INNOVATION EVERY DAY. STEWART BEER, SENIOR MANAGER AT ELECTRIX, EXPLAINS THAT
INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY CAN ADDRESS THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY’S KEY CHALLENGES

ith production lines in many industries, Duncan, senior industry strategy director at Blue Yonder,
from pharmaceutical and food and said: “In the case of a pandemic, or similar catastrophic
beverage, to the automotive industry, events, the focus should be on machines autonomously
Wneeding to work around the clock to running mundane, day-to-day tasks, with people
support challenged economies, innovation – and the use intervening based on experience and complementing the
of technology – in factories and warehouses must machine with strategic actions.”
continue apace. He continued: “Ultimately, it’s machines and people
Every business tries to operate in the most efficient working together that will get us through this crisis, and
and effective ways, but for manufacturing it’s paramount those that will inevitably occur again. Automation has
that production is carried out promptly. Over the years, evolved into having a greater focus on flexibility,
companies have realised that relying on manual labour scalability and process adaptability, becoming a tool to
tasks can be restrictive for productivity and profitability. optimise efficiency through manufacturers’ ability to
This conundrum has led to the introduction of robots over adapt to demands.” even tasks where humans would normally be in close
the last decade to automate complex processes that The relationship between humans and robots creates contact with each other. In the current situation, this can
previously would have been difficult to streamline. an interesting topic for discussion far beyond whether be lifesaving in more ways than one.
The debate over whether robots should replace robots should replace humans at all. The future certainly Aside from humans keeping clear of heavy machinery
humans is one that will probably never go away, but with looks like it will involve a happy balance between the or working in a socially distanced manner, how
the latest manufacturing labour statistics showing that two. equipment is contained within the workplace is vital.
productivity decreased through the second quarter of Switches to operate machines and cables used to power
2020 from the impact of Covid-19, the need for An emphasis on safety them need to be well protected and out of sight to avoid
automation has never been more important. Away from productivity levels and profit margins, a becoming a hazard.
With Covid-19 sticking around for as long as anyone factory or warehouse’s long-term existence to operate The use of stainless steel electrical enclosures and
can predict, industry leaders have been discussing and without a hitch, in respect to workplace accidents and cable management systems are both ways of combatting
looking at ways to use automation to maintain high disruptions, relies on safety measures being put in place these problems. The steel is easy to clean for hygiene
productivity levels and reduce human contact. Alan and followed religiously by workers. purposes and is also corrosion, fire and heat resistant,
Innovation in the respect of safety has advanced in whilst the cable containment provides the perfect solution
recent years and now businesses find themselves in a for keeping things safe and secure.
position of using more and more technology to keep The pandemic has exaggerated the need for
people safe. One way in which safety is being taken innovation in manufacturing, but in a way which will
seriously is through the introduction of radio frequency hopefully help boost the economy, at least in the sense
identification (RFID) sensors. These sensors can be used that work can happen smoothly without further
to track inventory but also generate proximity warnings if interruptions. The virus isn’t going anywhere, so
workers stray too close to an unsafe area. innovation isn’t something that belongs on a five-year
Robots are also being used for automation assistance, plan; it needs to happen now.
especially for dangerous or repetitive processes – and MORE INFORMATION: www.electrixinternational.com

Manufacturing R&D spending rises 4.4%

&D spending in the manufacturing industry manufacturing sector has grown 104.5%, up from £7.5bn Mark Tighe, CEO of R&D tax relief consultancy Catax,
defied expectations with a 4.4% rise last year in 2010. The ONS published its Q4 statistics for R&D comments: “The pandemic stopped businesses in their
despite the pandemic, analysis of latest ONS spending yesterday (Wed) providing a full year picture for tracks but those reliant on innovation clearly didn’t take
Rdata by business tax relief consultancy Catax different industries. their foot off the gas.
shows. The industry spent £15.3bn on R&D in 2020, up The manufacturing sector’s performance was slightly “Manufacturers, like all sectors, suffered major
from £14.6bn invested in 2019. worse than the performance of UK industry as a whole. disruption last year so it’s hugely encouraging that the
The increase came despite widespread disruption Total R&D spending by UK businesses rose 5.09% to industry still managed to grow its R&D spend on an annual
caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to fears £38.4bn last year. UK GDP in 2020 was 9.8% down on basis. This will put the sector on a strong footing as
that levels of innovation could suffer. It also represents a an annual basis according to the ONS – the worst the economic recovery gains pace.”
record high. Over the past decade, R&D spending in the performance since 1709. MORE INFORMATION: www.catax.com

10 INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY • March/April 2021