March 2019

38 n EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINT March 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com Is flexible automation the answer to the UK’s labour shortage? “Despite having a much smaller working population than the UK, Denmark is the fourth most productive country in the world, while the UK is ranked seventeenth.” A major issue facing UK manufacturers is the ongoing skills and labour shortage. This has been intensified over the past two years by politics as Brexit has cast uncertainty over immigration laws, dissuading foreign workers from migrating to the UK. The industry is also at risk of losing expertise due to an ageing workforce, without attracting younger recruits with the aptitude for the skills needed to fill these roles. Manufacturers and governing bodies must ensure that they don’t get caught up in the post-Brexit skills-shortage – there are multiple other factors that are contributing towards this issue. One major factor is the lack of new blood entering the industry. In particular, younger generations, including school graduates, do not consider manufacturing as a viable sector in which to start their careers. According to a recent survey by Barclays Corporate Banking, only 6% of 16–23 year-olds are considering a career in manufacturing, across any vertical. This is horrifyingly low. It is clear that more must be done to attract younger people into this sector, or the skills gap will continue to widen into an abyss. The government needs to take charge, by encouraging more children to continue with STEM subjects throughout school. Manufacturers, from SMEs to large enterprises, can play their part by offering constructive and hands-on apprenticeships to school-leavers, with the aim of changing the mindset of youth to have a more positive outlook on the manufacturing industry. These are important steps in creating a long-term strategy to combat the UK skills shortage. However, they will not relieve the industry in the short term. Manufacturers still need a strategy that can be implemented immediately to boost output without increasing manpower. The short answer to this problem is flexible automation. UK manufacturers need to look to Denmark as an example and take inspiration from a nation that has gone through an intensive skills shortage and come out successfully on the other side. Despite having a much smaller working population than the UK, Denmark is the fourth most productive country in the world, while the UK is ranked seventeenth. Denmark’s success is underpinned by the economy’s mass adoption of flexible new automation technologies, such as collaborative robots (cobots), into their workforce. Cobots, which can be deployed quickly with minimal disturbance on the shop floor, are becoming the most viable option for small businesses that do not have the capital to redesign their factories to accommodate large industrial robots. Investing in flexible automation has several advantages: robots can run 24 hours a day without supervision and undertake repetitive tasks for long periods without getting bored or developing repetitive strain injuries. This means that businesses can have a higher output at a lower cost, without having to hire more workers. This is especially important in the manufacturing sector as it faces increasing raw material prices. Any opportunity to reduce costs is attractive. This, in turn, allows human employees to use their time and energy to solve problems that require reflection and creativity. Automation is a win-win for everyone involved because it makes the job more interesting for employees which, in turn, makes it easier for businesses to attract and retain new recruits. Furthermore, as cobots take on the more manual tasks, it reduces the physical strain on workers and will consequently reduce the number of employees that retire earlier than average. By implementing a flexible automation strategy, businesses can exploit human potential to a much higher degree than we do today, which is necessary during this labour drought. n Sales Director, Universal Robots Mark Gray