National exhibition to launch in Coventry for robotics and automation industry

Tuesday 25th of April 2023 03:14 PM

Experts in robotics and systems integration will gather at a new exhibition launching in Coventry to highlight how new technologies will drive future growth in the UK economy.

Automation UK, organised by the British Automation and Robot Association (BARA), will take place over two days on June 20 and 21 at Coventry Building Society Arena and see one of the largest national gatherings of industry experts in one of the world’s fastest growing sectors.

The automation and robotics market is already worth billions and figures in 2020 showed that around 2,200 multipurpose industry robots were shipped to the UK, with 40 per cent destined for the automotive industry alone.

Around 23,000 industrial robots are already in operation in the UK and that number is set to soar as technology becomes more accessible for businesses.

The inaugural exhibition has attracted scores of exhibitors from across the automation and robotics industries and showcases new technologies and live demonstrations from the latest cutting-edge machines.

It is set to attract decisions makers, buyers and sellers to see and test the latest industry products and services such as robots, robotic systems, systems integration, automation control parts and systems, and sensor and machine safety.

Organisers expect the event to be the benchmark for exhibitions in the automation and robotics industry.

The exhibition is co-located with UK Industrial Vision Association’s (UKIVA) Machine Vision Conference, which attracts more than 500 visitors per day and features a range of expert presentations from leaders in the industry. Both BARA and UKIVA are part of the Processing and Packaging Machinery Association’s (PPMA) group of associations.

The global market for industrial robots amounted to $43.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach more than $70 billion by 2028.

Mark Stepney, Managing Director of Schubert UK and a PPMA board member, says that with the UK government setting aside £184 billion over the next 10 years to support automation and robotics, now is the ideal time to launch the show and provide a new forum for the industry to come together.

“Businesses across the UK are becoming increasingly aware of the productivity and cost benefits of investing in automation and robotics,” said Mr Stepney.

“The government has reflected that through investment via the ‘Made Smarter’ Industrial Strategy and as a result this is set to be one of the UK’s major growth sectors over the next 10 years.

“This is the perfect time to launch Automation UK and we expect it to be the largest annual gathering of industry experts under one roof.

“The exhibition will feature the latest industrial products and services, live demonstrations but also present visitors with the opportunity to gain the latest market intelligence from leading industry experts.

“We’re expecting visitors from across a wide range of sectors, from manufacturing and engineers to food and drink, logistics and transport.

“The event is backed by two leading industry organisations in BARA and UKIVA, and that is one of many reasons why we expect Automation UK to be leading exhibition in this sector.”

Automation UK is the latest in a string of new conferences and exhibitions to launch at Coventry Building Society Arena.

Jenni Ford, Director of Sales and Marketing at Coventry Building Society Arena, added: “We’re delighted that Automation UK is launching at our venue and it is certainly a show with huge growth potential given how quickly the automation and robotics industry continues to develop.”

To find out more about Automation UK visit www.automation-uk.co.uk and for MVC, www.machinevisionconference.co.uk