UK automation group backs new industrial strategy
5 Aug 2025
Gambica upbeat but urges effective delivery of blueprint for investment in R&D, automation, AI
London – With a £22.6-billion (€26.0 billion) commitment to R&D and £600 million in ‘strategic sites', the UK government’s new ‘modern industrial strategy’ “sets a bold course for next-generation manufacturing.”
That's according to UK industry association Gambica, which believes the strategy will leverage the “pivotal role of automation and ethical tech innovation,” across the UK manufacturing sector.
In particular, the London-based automation body believes initiatives like the ‘made smarter’ expansion, robotics adoption hubs, and a £2-billion AI action plan can deliver significant results.
On workforce transformation, it added, a proposed overhaul of skills development will help to finally bridge the gap between education and industrial demand across member sectors.
"Industry and policymakers must work together to build the next chapter,” Nikesh Mistry, Gambica's sector head for industrial automation & test and measurement said at a recent First Friday Club press conference.
“Our sector has proven resilience through the members ability to fight back over the past five years of geopolitical unrest, and this modern strategy should continue to aid this and boost the future of our industry,” Mistry told journalists at the July event.
In his presentation, Mistry provided updated data on the performance of the UK manufacturing industry in terms of the adoption of and investment in automation, robotics and AI.
