A Newcastle-under-Lyme supplier of industrial automation solutions has been recognised as Retail / Manufacturing Shipper of the Year at the Freight Transport Association (FTA) Logistics Awards held in London. The FTA is one of the biggest business groups in the UK, supporting and shaping the efficiency of logistics and the movement of goods.

Intelligent automation is increasingly being applied in businesses; don’t get left behind

Robotic automation, also known as robotisation, involves the automation of manufacturing and other business processes through the use of robots in different forms. Industrial robots, for example, are used in manufacturing, taking over tasks normally associated with or performed by a human being. These include tasks such as welding, shipping, assembly line work, materials handling, and product packaging. Software robots are also part of robotic automation, in that they are created to render generic automation capability, and are configured to perform manual, repetitive tasks as exemplified by the chatbots people encounter the first time they visit a website.

In June, Radwell International Ltd became an official distributor of Temlos' products for the United Kingdom and Germany. As a result, a meeting was held with Radwell representatives at their headquarters in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. On this occasion, we trained their sales team and attended the "Radwell Open Day".

Companies should be looking to benefit from the potential of technologies such as artificial intelligence and edge computing for business success and competitive advantage.

Radwell International Ltd has been named as a ‘National Winner’ in the 2019 European Business Awards, one of the world’s largest business competitions.

Machine breakdowns are normal occurrences in the manufacturing industry. The repetitive functions of each machine inevitably lead to failures and downtime. The trouble with this, of course, is that manufacturing today requires greater levels of efficiency and quality output. Any equipment failures resulting in unplanned downtime can lead to service delays, disgruntled customers, and possible losses in terms of productivity and income.

Safety is paramount with collaborative robots and they can be made safer with machine vision and artificial intelligence technology.

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” The words of legendary innovator Alexander Graham Bell. And, of course, we know this to be true both in business and in the manufacturing environment. It is critical to plan ahead, but some things are harder to plan for than others, even when we know they’re coming. 

Robotic automation can spur greater efficiency, deliver better results, lower costs and increase flexibility, but companies need to have the right tools to make the robot's application successful.

When implemented correctly, robotic automation can spur greater efficiency, deliver better results, lower costs and increase flexibility — for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger-scale manufacturing companies. However, businesses must have a sound and strategic vision of robotic automation before pursuing it. They should understand how it will be introduced and to which applications, outline its potential benefits, and clearly understand the unique budget and operational strategies.

Cybersecurity poses a serious threat to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) enabled devices and robotic automation equipment. Attackers who gain access to industrial networks have a number of devastating options available to them, from changing production data to causing harmful production errors.