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Editor: Lou Reade Advertising Sales: David Chadd
Spring 2023
Industry update from the UK Industrial Vision Association
A new vision for industrial robots
Editor: Dr Denis Bulgin Advertising Sales: David Chadd
Robots are probably the encapsulation of modern manufacturing. They are used across industry – on car assembly lines, in packaging, food production and elsewhere. Despite this, the uptake of robots in the UK is actually very low. In its recent annual report, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) estimated ‘robot density’ for a range of countries. South Korea, for instance, has 1,000 robots installed per 10,000 workers – the top of the list. Further down the table, Germany has 397, the USA has 274 and France has 163. The UK languishes in 24th place – between Hungary and Norway – with 111 robots per 10,000 employees. However, this figure varies according to the industry: the density for the car industry is 824 robots per 10,000 employees; for the rest of industry, it is 60. The report states: “The UK has a strong manufacturing industry that has surprisingly low annual robot installation counts.” This can be seen as both a problem and an opportunity. The problem lies in the fact that the UK is lagging behind so many of its industrial and economic peers. However, it’s also an opportunity because it offers the chance to reboot – and embrace the wider benefits of automation. Starting from a
low base means that even modest extra investment in automation could have a noticeable effect. “It’s important to do this for UK plc,” says Allan Anderson, chairman of UKIVA. “We have poor productivity – and other countries are investing more quickly and heavily in automation.” Another factor to bear in mind is that vision systems can further enhance the productivity of robots. There are more details on robot vision systems in our centre section starting on page 11. “It’s becoming more common for robots to incorporate a vision system – and they achieve more when they do,” he says.
CONTENTS Application Articles .......................... 3-9 Robots and Vision Systems ............... 11-13 UKIVA Member Directory ..................... 14 Product Updates ........................... 15-23
To contribute to Vision in Action, email the editor on ViAeditor@outlook.com. For advertising enquiries, contact David Chadd (david.chadd@ppma.co.uk) on +44 (0)20 8773 5505.
www.ukiva.org