Britain’s manufacturers are entering a period in which technology is becoming as important to workforce strategy as it is to productivity Skills availability, changing demographics, supply chain resilience and the drive for higher output are encouraging manufacturers to look again at how automation can strengthen their operations. For Banelec, the opportunity lies in applying technology intelligently to the areas where it can create the greatest operational value.
The scale of the potential is becoming increasingly apparent internationally. Recent industry analysis in the United States suggests that more than 80% of manufacturing facilities still operate without automation, even as increasingly capable robotics, machine vision, artificial intelligence and edge computing technologies enter the market. The UK faces its own version of the same opportunity and government policy is increasingly supporting the transition. The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy places advanced manufacturing among its priority growth sectors, with billions of pounds earmarked for research, development, innovation and skills. Robotics, automation and smart factories feature prominently within that direction of travel.
For Dean Banner, Managing Director of Brierley Hill-based electrical control systems specialist Banelec, the important question is how quickly manufacturers can translate technological capability into practical improvements on the factory floor.
“Automation has reached a point where it can help manufacturers address several strategic priorities at the same time,” said Banner. “It can increase capacity, support the existing workforce, capture knowledge within processes and give businesses much greater visibility over how their operations are performing. “The technology is available. The real opportunity now is understanding where it can deliver the greatest return and integrating it properly into the manufacturing environment.”
Britain’s engineering skills requirement makes that particularly relevant, because as experienced engineers and operators progress through their careers, manufacturers have an opportunity to capture decades of accumulated production knowledge within automated processes, digital systems and standardised operating procedures. Automation can also take responsibility for repetitive, physically intensive and highly predictable activities, allowing skilled employees to concentrate on programming, maintenance, quality, problem-solving and continuous improvement.
Banner believes this distinction will become increasingly important.
“The strongest automation projects are about getting more from the skills already within a business,” he said. “If an experienced engineer is spending a large proportion of the day carrying out a repetitive process, there may be an opportunity to automate that activity and apply their knowledge somewhere that creates considerably more value. “You are effectively multiplying the impact of your skilled people.”
That principle can extend from robotic handling and automated production equipment through to PLC-controlled processes, machine vision, SCADA systems and intelligent monitoring. For manufacturers competing for engineering talent, it also changes the type of working environment they can offer the next generation.
“A highly automated factory creates different career opportunities,” Banner added. “You need people who understand controls, robotics, data, electrical engineering and production processes. Those are exciting engineering careers and they will become increasingly important as UK industry invests.”
The same technology can help manufacturers respond to another major industrial priority: supply chain resilience. Automation provides an opportunity to manufacture economically at higher volumes and with greater consistency in the UK, strengthening the commercial case for domestic production across strategically important sectors.
For companies serving aerospace, defence, nuclear, energy and advanced manufacturing markets, greater domestic capability can provide additional capacity and flexibility throughout the supply chain. Banelec has seen that requirement first-hand through projects spanning manufacturing, power generation, hazardous environments, offshore applications and major infrastructure.
“The conversation around automation is becoming much broader than individual machines,” said Banner. “Customers are looking at capacity, resilience, energy, traceability, workforce availability and how quickly they can respond when demand changes. A well-designed control system can bring many of those elements together.”
Modern control architecture can connect production equipment with sensors, drives, robotics, vision systems and plant-level monitoring, creating a clearer picture of what is happening across an operation. That information allows manufacturers to make faster decisions about output, maintenance, quality and energy consumption.
Another important development is the growing accessibility of industrial AI and edge computing. Instead of sending every piece of production data to remote computing infrastructure, edge technology allows information to be processed close to the machine itself. Combined with machine vision, sensors and automated control, this creates opportunities for systems capable of identifying patterns, monitoring quality, adjusting processes and highlighting maintenance requirements as production takes place.
By continuously monitoring variables such as vibration, temperature, electrical load or cycle behaviour, manufacturers can gain a clearer understanding of equipment condition and schedule engineering intervention at the most appropriate point.
“Data becomes particularly valuable when it leads to an action,” Banner explained. “We can collect huge amounts of information from modern production equipment. The value comes from designing a system that converts that information into something useful – whether that means adjusting a process, identifying a maintenance requirement, improving energy efficiency or helping an operator make a decision.”
Crucially, Britain’s automation opportunity does not depend entirely upon building new factories. The UK has a substantial installed base of productive machinery, much of which can be enhanced through modern control technology. Retrofitting PLCs, variable speed drives, HMIs, sensors, robotics, remote monitoring and modern safety systems can extend the capability of existing assets while allowing manufacturers to introduce digital technology progressively. For SMEs in particular, this provides a practical route towards Industry 4.0.
“Automation does not have to mean redesigning an entire factory,” Banner said: “Sometimes the most effective starting point is a particular process where additional capacity, improved control or better information would make a measurable difference.
“You can establish the right architecture, demonstrate the benefits and build from there.”
That systems-led approach sits at the centre of Banelec’s work. The company provides end-to-end electrical control and automation solutions encompassing system design, panel manufacture, PLC and HMI programming, robotics, drives, SCADA, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, installation and commissioning.
Its engineers work across technologies from Siemens, Allen-Bradley, Mitsubishi and Schneider, enabling solutions to be designed around the requirements of individual applications.
A strategic technology for UK industry
The direction of government investment suggests automation will play an increasingly prominent role in Britain’s industrial strategy.
The UK has identified advanced manufacturing as one of eight priority growth sectors, alongside commitments to research and development, engineering skills and investment capital. Automation and robotics are also being explored beyond traditional manufacturing, including agriculture, where autonomous equipment, machine vision and AI could support productivity and workforce capacity.
For Banner, that illustrates the wider significance of the technology.
“Automation is becoming part of the infrastructure of a competitive industrial economy,” he said.
“It gives businesses the ability to produce more, use resources intelligently, support skilled people and build greater resilience into their operations.
“The UK has tremendous engineering knowledge and an established manufacturing base. Combining that expertise with modern control, robotics and digital technology gives us an opportunity to make those capabilities even stronger.”
As manufacturers consider how to increase capacity while responding to skills requirements and increasingly complex supply chains, the automation debate is consequently shifting.
The question is becoming less about whether technology has a role to play and more about where it can create the greatest advantage.
For Banelec, that means starting with the manufacturing challenge rather than the technology itself.
“Every factory is different,” Banner concluded. “The objective is to understand where the constraints are, where skilled people can add the most value and where technology can make the operation smarter.
“When you get those elements working together, automation becomes much more than a productivity tool. It becomes an enabler for growth.”