BARA raises standard in battle for more UK robots

Sales of robots to the sector, which includes many rubber parts makers, fell 15% year-on-year in 2018, data from the British Automation & Robot Association (BARA) shows.

The sales decline, to around 1,750 units, ended a tentative two-year recovery after a slide from a peak nearing 2,500 units in 2012, BARA chairman Mike Wilson reported.

The issue, he noted, is greatest in the non-automotive sector, where the UK’s robot density is a paltry 42 per 10,000 employees.

This is just 20-50% of the equivalent levels seen in other major EU economies, Wilson told a 1 Feb press conference in London.

Other helpful factors include: increasing productivity pressures, reduced availability of low-cost labour– partly due to Brexit – and workplace-safety requirements.

However, safety issues can actually work against the introduction of robotics due to variation in standards of installation in the UK, Wilson noted.

Currently, he said, “anyone can claim to provide systems’ integrator solutions, but that doesn’t mean that they are trained or competent to integrate a robot into a system.”

The issue has prompted BARA to launch the UK’s first robot integrators’ certification scheme, in association with the US Robot Industries Association.

The scheme, said Wilson, “will add another layer of credibility for our members who are qualified to fully-integrate one or more robots into a production line.

“It will also offer the end-user peace of mind that the company and integrator they have appointed to undertake the work has both been independently verified.”