PlastikCity on Tour: FANUC Open House 2024
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PlastikCity was delighted to attend FANUC UK’s annual Open House, held on 12th–14th November 2024 at the company’s headquarters in Ansty Park, Coventry. The highly anticipated annual event brought together leading names from manufacturing, automation, and education to explore how robotics and automation can address the most pressing challenges facing UK industry.
This year’s Open House featured an impressive programme of live robotic demonstrations, hands-on training sessions, and insightful presentations from over 20 industry experts. Each day’s discussions were shaped around a unique theme, reflecting the diverse challenges and opportunities facing the UK manufacturing industry:
- Day 1: Enabling Step Change for Automation Adoption
- Day 2: Education for Automation Adoption
- Day 3: UK Automation 2030
The event opened with a keynote address by FANUC UK’s Managing Director, Tom Bouchier, who highlighted how automation is empowering British manufacturers to boost productivity, address labour challenges, and improve sustainability. Notable speakers included representatives from global organisations such as Airbus, Amazon, and Cummins, alongside influential voices from Make UK, Automate UK, and the Manufacturer.
Particular highlights were the well-attended panel sessions, which we caught in the middle of day 1’s schedule. The debate, titled “Navigating the UK Manufacturing Landscape” featured FANUC UK’s Tom Bouchier, Marco Chacin of Airbus, Steven Grace of Cummins, chaired by the Manufacturer’s Henry Anson. Covering all the hot topics of the sector today, the panel offered their expert insights into skills shortages, funding and training within the sector, challenges in the UK market and how automation is shaping the face of manufacturing. With examples on show of recent projects, it was fascinating how, for example, typically manual processes such as large-scale aircraft manufacturing was being revolutionised with automation.
As always, these panels were met with a fiery audience response, with attendees posing questions and queries to the expert panel, all who rose to the challenge and offered their expert perspectives.
An inspiring session, and despite the usual grumblings about UK’s adoption and investment figures lagging behind other global counterparts, the panel offered positive thoughts and practical examples of the work already being carried out by FANUC UK and its partners, to change this narrative in 2025 and beyond.
Attendees also had the opportunity to witness the live final of the WorldSkills UK Industrial Robotics competition, which showcased the outstanding potential of the next generation of manufacturing talent.
The event was also recorded and livestreamed across FANUC UK’s social media channels, so if you’d like to catch up on any panels or discussions you missed, you can view the livestream recordings on YouTube. (Day One, Day Two and Day Three linked here.)
Another huge focus of the event was collaboration, with a sizeable exhibition area populated by FANUC’s partners, suppliers and customers. Featuring over 30 partner organisations, the exhibitor area demonstrated the breadth of automation technology available today. Visitors were able to engage directly with experts, discuss innovative solutions, and gain hands-on experience with FANUC’s latest robotic systems, machining centres, and injection moulding machines, as well as associated technology and ancillaries.
We were pleased to catch up with a handful of PlastikCity members participating in the exhibition, shown in the photograph below.
Addressing Industry Challenges
The Open House tackled critical topics affecting the UK’s manufacturing future, such as sustainable production, upskilling the workforce and strategies for increasing robotics adoption in SMEs. Panel discussions and debates provided actionable insights, from how to attract young talent into manufacturing to creating a culture of innovation that supports long-term growth within the sector. As a platform for collaboration and inspiration, FANUC’s Open House continues to be an unmissable event and a highlight of the automation calendar. The event, held across three days, was FANUC’s most successful to date, attracting manufacturers, engineers, academics, MPs, local mayors, and students, all eager to explore how automation can drive success for UK businesses.
PlastikCity Supports the Future of Automation
PlastikCity was proud to attend the event and engage with industry leaders, gaining valuable insights into the latest developments in industrial automation and its impact on plastics manufacturing. As strong advocates for innovation and collaboration, we encourage those who couldn’t attend this year to explore FANUC’s offerings or consider attending future Open House events to experience the technology and discussions shaping the industry.
For more information about FANUC’s Open House and its focus on advancing UK manufacturing through automation, visit FANUC UK’s website.
Read more news from FANUC here.
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