Features are carefully selected from across the website and magazine, these articles are contributed by a wide range of authors from across the sectors covered by Industrial Plant and Equipment, as well as the editorial team. Addressing the latest topics in terms of technological developments, legislation and industry issues
Increased energy costs are impacting supply chains and manufacturing processes nationwide, but operations managers can cut their energy costs almost immediately through using IoT technology, says Jordan Appleson
The adoption of robotics and automation is increasing in UK manufacturing, but still lags behind the global average. Made Smarter is helping SMEs to leverage these machines to solve the productivity puzzle and unlock people-potential, explains Will Kinghorn
The COVID-19 pandemic, a tense socio-political global climate, and an increasingly demanding customer base have all contributed to a growing need for flexibility in manufacturing. As a result, manufacturers need equipment that can be quickly and easily reconfigured, rather than fixed production lines where every change may require weeks of downtime. Neil Ballinger explains the role of automation cells in transitioning to a more agile business model
To provide proper access control, SICHERT and EMKA have combined their know-how - resulting from many years of good cooperation between the two partners.
After lagging behind their international counterparts for many years, UK manufacturers are finally waking up to the benefits of automation, prompted in part by labour shortages as a result of Brexit and the pandemic. With the vacancy rate reaching a record high of 4.1 at the start of 2022, increasing numbers of firms are now looking to automate their more repetitive or mundane tasks, freeing up employees for more value-added roles.
However, in the face of this shift towards automation, UK manufacturers to avoid falling into the trap of prioritising purchase price over total cost of ownership, says Shinichi Tanzawa
