Page 13 - Automated Issue 11

GOING GLOBAL WITH AUTOMATION

manufacturing ability. If handled correctly, the UK will machine tool and additive manufacturing regulations,
remain as competitive, if not more, following Brexit. which leads to updated standards and boosts
international trade. That is something we need to
AUTOMATED: How do you expect the protect post-Brexit.
manufacturing landscape to change in the next ten
years? To raise the profile of our members and connect them
Selka: We expect a continued acceleration of on the ground internationally, we’ve been to shows in
investment into technology and skills. The last 15 Turkey, Japan, America and we are arranging to go to
years has seen a renaissance in the UK’s advanced Vietnam, Thailand and India. In Turkey, our members
manufacturing and we now need the skills to handle talked to the British consulate about business customs
the expected growth. I anticipate the UK will continue and gained practical advice.
to invest in automating technology, but investing in
skills for the future in tandem with that will give us the AUTOMATED: How can countries stay competitive in
opportunity to leapfrog our competitors. The MTA the global market?
offers training grants to help members develop their Selka: Accelerating investment in skills and
staff and train apprentices to develop the necessary technology will create enormous opportunities for the
skills. UK. We’ve also partnered with Lloyds Bank, who
committed to invest one billion pounds in UK
AUTOMATED: What do you think will be the biggest manufacturing in 2017 and had achieved this by May.
manufacturing innovation?
Selka: Some of the biggest innovations, like Industry To improve productivity and remain competitive, three
4.0, are already upon us, but are yet to be fully things are required; technology, skills and finance. We
realised. Additive manufacturing is yet to reach its full help our members and their customers to access all
potential. It has already given us the ability to produce three.
things that were geometrically impossible before and
altered the mindset of many designers. AUTOMATED: A fun question to end on, who is your
tech hero?
Using these innovations, we have a once in a Selka: My answer to this is twofold. My pure tech hero
generation opportunity to reindustrialise the UK. We is the Formula One designer Adrian Newey, as he
are well placed to do this as the UK has a worldwide epitomises how brilliant the UK is at innovation. His
reputation for innovation, the lowest tax regime in the engineering mind has led his teams to win numerous
G7, a flexible workforce and speaks the global titles.
language.
In a business sense, it has to be Sir David McMurtry,
AUTOMATED: How do you help your members to chairman and chief executive of Renishaw, who used
internationalise? his extraordinary technical and business abilities to
Selka: We take our members abroad to international create a company with revenues of over half a billion
trade shows, such as the world’s largest metalworking pounds. Sir David understands the importance of
show, EMO, which is being staged in September of investing in skills in the UK, intellectual property and
this year in Hannover, Germany. We also work closely technology. The company has an impressive staff
with the Department of International Trade (DIT) and retention rate and if we had more businesses like
are members of the Institute of Export, which our Renishaw, I’m sure we’d have a stronger economy.
members can access to develop relationships in
international markets.

Our technical committee influences international

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