There is an opportunity to invest more in UK food and drink manufacturing before we achieve diminishing returns. The imperative is to create the right investment environment, direct investment in the right areas and enable innovation that drives productivity. This report further explores the obstacles being faced by manufacturers that need to be overcome. Spotlight: Can better automation unlock value? Across manufacturing sectors, robot density in the US and EU is substantially higher than in the UK. Using digital and AI technology to invest in the right areas to automate and optimise supply chain and commercial decisions can be a key enabler to help the UK food and drink sector unlock its economic growth and productivity potential.
Investing in automation and so prioritising productivity and growth will secure the food and drink manufacturing
Food and drink generally across the world has lower robot density compared to other manufacturing sectors. This trend reflects the challenges with predictability and variation of demand in some areas of the sector, as well as the complex manufacturing environment given the high number of products and nature of handling food.
industry’s competitive edge, at home and internationally, cementing its role as a critical contributor to the UK economy.
Worldwide robot installations in manufacturing bysector, 2022 10
Robots installed per 10,000 employees 9
100 120 140 160 180
US
EU
0 20 40 60 80
UK
World Average: 151
= 50 Robots
9. World Robotics: Industrial Robots, International Federation of Robotics (2022) 10. World Robotics: Industrial Robots, International Federation of Robotics (2022)
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