By Oliver Selby, head of sales for FANUC UK and chair of BARA (British Automation and Robotics Association)
THE latest IFR figures show just how far British manufacturing has to climb in terms of automation adoption. Now down to 23rd in the global robot density league table, the UK has just 119 robots per 10,000 workers, against a global average of 162. If we remove the automotive sector from these statistics, the picture is worse still, with just 69 robots per 10,000 workers. The UK has also dropped out of the top 10 world manufacturing rankings for the first time, falling to 12th place.
Despite our proud history as a strong manufacturing nation, UK productivity rates have to rise if we are to remain a force on the international stage. In Q4 2024, productivity was estimated to be 0.8% lower compared with a year ago, and 19% lower than the US. With a clear correlation between automation adoption and higher productivity rates, why aren’t more UK manufacturers investing in robots?
Where are the workers?
One often overlooked reason is a focus on job creation over productivity. It has been well documented that the UK manufacturing industry is in the grip of both a labour crisis and a skills shortage. According to a recent report by The Manufacturer, 97% of manufacturers say that hiring and retaining staff presents a challenge to the growth of their business, with 36% of manufacturing vacancies proving hard to fill (compared to an average rate of 24% across all industries).
Despite this, we regularly see news stories of how government funding towards large manufacturing projects for companies such as Nissan, Rolls Royce or BAE will create ‘thousands of new jobs’ for the industry – with no mention of where these workers will come from or what this funding will deliver in terms of output. A shift in government and media focus towards increasing productivity levels among manufacturing firms of all sizes – rather than job creation via large corporations – would be far more useful for boosting overall manufacturing output. Support for investment in automation projects would be a sure-fire way to do this.
Attracting new talent
Exacerbating the labour crisis is the fact that young people are not currently entering the sector in sufficient numbers to replace workers leaving the industry. Working culture has changed hugely over recent years and digitally native Gen Zs are looking for stimulating roles that offer career progression, instead of a steady but low skilled ‘job for life’.
Investing in automation to replace the dull, dirty and dangerous roles that are now so hard to fill has numerous benefits for business owners, existing workers and new entrants alike. Robots don’t get sick or tired, can work 24/7 even in the dark and carry out tasks to a consistently high level, improving product quality and increasing output for manufacturing firms.
At the same time, existing workers can be upskilled and redeployed to higher value tasks, increasing job satisfaction and improving retention rates. Furthermore, a company employing advanced manufacturing capabilities such as robotics, automation, vision technology and AI will find it far easier to attract new talent to help futureproof its business.
TCO over purchase price
Another potential barrier is the perceived cost of robotics, combined with an unrealistic attitude towards payback. In the UK, the typical expectation is that payback on an automation project will be under two years. Yet the value that the right automation solution can deliver to a manufacturing business will last far longer than that. Focusing on an unrealistic sub-two year payback can lead to businesses making compromises when developing their manufacturing strategy and getting a solution which is not fit for purpose, or choosing not to invest at all.
By contrast, prioritising total cost of ownership over initial purchase price gives a far truer representation of the real cost, and value, to a business of an automation solution. This is reflected in Europe where companies typically expect payback in three to five years – and may help to account for their higher levels of both automation and productivity (a German worker produces around one-sixth more per hour than their UK counterpart).
Aside from this, it’s also worth mentioning that the price of robots has barely increased in the last 15 years, rising at near, and at times slightly under, inflation levels. Compare this to price rises in the automotive sector over a similar period, and it’s clear that in 2025, robots represent good value for money. In addition, opportunities for financing automation projects have improved greatly in recent years, with options including hire purchase and robots-to-rent making solutions accessible to manufacturers of all sizes.
Leveraging automation expertise
A final barrier to consider is a perceived lack of automation expertise. Outdated perceptions of robots as complicated, difficult to programme and inflexible have prevented some manufacturers from taking the plunge, potentially impacting their ability to be competitive on both the domestic and international stage. In fact, today’s industrial and collaborative robots are user-friendly, easy to configure and simple to operate, with many plug-and-play options now available.
What’s more, robot suppliers such as FANUC, as well as our system integrator partners, can help to further reduce the risk of investing in automation, and make a project more attractive to potential funders. Using our automation experience and expertise, we work with manufacturers across all sectors to understand the problems they need solving, ensuring they get the right solution, at the right price, at the first time of asking.
In conclusion, today’s automation solutions are flexible, affordable and easy to use. They can help to solve labour challenges, improve product quality and consistency, increase output, and ultimately boost the UK’s overall productivity. The time for manufacturers to invest is now.
